Devils Best Betsy In Rainy Region Semifinal

The Greeneville Devils’ shutout streak continued as they bested Elizabethton 2-0 in the Region 1-2A soccer tournament semifinals on Tuesday at Fox Field in Greeneville.

“At this point in the season, I’m just glad to be moving on to play the next day,” Greeneville coach Jerry Graham said. “I’m proud of our boys’ effort, the way they came out here and played on a little bit of a different surface, a wet surface. We were talking to them after the game, I felt like this is a big step for us. We played more for each other tonight than we’ve played all year.

“Our defense did an exceptional job of keeping a clean sheet. I think it sends a big message. We bend but don’t break. They caught us a little bit in transition a couple times, but those were really the only opportunities they ever had.”

Early in the match, Greeneville keeper Tanner Myers and the defense were certainly tested. For roughly the first 10 minutes, the Cyclones were playing aggressive on offense. However, the closest they got to scoring was a high shot that Myers was able to get one hand on and deflect, keeping the game even.

“They scored off of that set piece against David Crockett and they have quality set pieces,” Graham said. “And it was going in if Tanner hadn’t made that save. It was a great save. Saves like that change the whole match. If that goes in, does the momentum boost on their side? We don’t know. So the fact that he made that save, it could’ve been a little bit of a turning point. Tanner had a great night tonight.”

Myers finished with seven saves.

Samuel Gourley scored Greeneville’s first goal at the 13-minute mark on a difficult shot from the left corner.

“I don’t even know how he hit it with the angle that he had,” Graham said with a laugh. “He had to have bent that ball to a high degree to get it to the back of the net. But that’s his work ethic. He was coming from the right side, went all the way to the left side, won it from the keeper who didn’t have possession and then slid the ball across.”

With 18 minutes left in the first half, Greeneville made it 2-0. David Fisher put the ball in play on a corner kick and Connor Stayton was able to get a foot on it and squeeze it past the keeper.

Graham said the Devils had some missed offensive opportunities he hopes they’ll fix before they face David Crockett in the Region 1-2A championship on Thursday at home.

“On the offensive side of the ball, I felt like we left a few goals on the field and that’s something you never want to do,” he said. “But the surface might have played a little bit into it. Regardless, everybody’s playing on the same surface, and we gotta hit those. Probably three more goals we should’ve had tonight.

“(Crockett is) going to be a tough matchup. We all get to play a sectional match, but obviously we want to be hosting. To beat the team that beat (Elizabethton) last week, we know they’re going to be a quality team. We’ll go back and look at film to see where we can attack them.”