Chapin gets best of A.C. Flora to advance to 3A boys soccer state title game
Chapin and A.C. Flora are very familiar with each other, having faced off five times the last two seasons before Tuesday’s Class 3A Upper State championship.
The Eagles had won four of the previous five meetings, with the only Falcons win coming in the Upper State finals last season.
Thanks to a quick start, Chapin avenged that playoff loss and advanced to Saturday’s state championship with a dominating 4-1 victory over the defending state champions. The Eagles will play Myrtle Beach at 1:30 p.m. at Irmo’s W.C. Hawkins Stadium.
“It could have been the best first 15 minutes of our season,” Chapin coach Ben Bosco said. “Everybody was scared and anxious at first – their players and our players. The fans came out from both sides to create a beautiful atmosphere. Our kids really wanted this and they deserve it.”
Chapin (20-3) played some of its best soccer during its first-half offensive onslaught, scoring all four of its goals before halftime.
Caleb White got things started with a goal off an assist from Tanner Martin. The Eagles started the attack in the corner when Martin found White open from point-blank range to give Chapin the lead in the third minute. Tyler Martin added the second goal in the 16th minute on an assist from Jon Humphries. Three minutes later, Cooper Woodham scored to make it 3-0.
“I think our guys displayed a great amount of desire, and it was noticeable to the average fan,” Bosco said. “Across the board, we were a step faster. Our guys really wanted this.”
Woodham agreed that was some of the best soccer of the season for Chapin, but he hopes its just precursor of things to come.
“We always like to say our best is yet to come, so we want our best to be the next half,” the junior said. “But up until this point, that first half is up there for our best soccer of the season. We’re not satisfied with that, though.”
The opening flurry was too much for A.C. Flora (14-8) to overcome. Falcons coach Matt Barry thought his team lost containment on a couple of those goals.
“Chapin is a very good team and they jumped all over us,” he said. “We lost defensive discipline three times when the ball went wide. When it was served across, we weren’t marking properly and they put it in the back of the net.”
The Falcons finally tallied a goal when Owen Rohde scored in the 21st minute to make it 3-1. A.C. Flora had a couple of more good scoring opportunities in the first half, but couldn’t find the back of the net.
Chapin then added the dagger with less than two minutes remaining in the half. Tanner Martin scored to make it 4-1 and the Eagles could start planning their first trip to the state finals since 2008.
“It feels awesome,” Woodham said. “We had a disappointing end last year. We lost to these same guys in the same situation last year, so this feels great. We know they’re a great team and this rivalry has been going on for a long, long time. It’s great competition and it’s fun to win the one that really counts.”
Barry was disappointed in the end to the season after A.C. Flora won the state championship last year, but he believes the program is heading in the right direction.
“We took seven tough losses in the regular season and turned that into a playoff run," he said. "We got to the state semifinals for the second year in a row, so we feel like that’s the start to building program.”