Arrow boys soccer team falls to Tupelo in playoffs
By Danny C. Davis
After a tough overtime loss to Tupelo in the Class 7A second round playoffs at Arrow Field and two sudden death five-minute overtime periods, the Clinton Arrow boys soccer team fell to the Golden Waves 3-2 on a penalty shot playoff.
It was a tough way to finish after the Arrows made a good run at the end.
The Arrows finished the season 11-6-5.
After upsetting defending class 7A state boys champion Hernando in the opening round of playoffs, 2-0, CHS faced Tupelo, a team that the Arrows defeated twice during the regular season.
The Arrows started out strong by taking a 1-0 lead in the first minutes of play with a goal by junior Wes Ambrose.
The lead was short-lived, after a goal by Tupelo just three minutes later to tie the game 1-1.
The was the way the game stayed, until Tupelo scored in the 62nd minute to go ahead 2-1. Clinton tied it 2-2 on a goal by Owen Coker in the 75th.
Tupelo received a red card penalty and was forced to play with one less player for the last 30-plus minutes, but the Arrows were unable to take advantage of the penalty.
“We felt confident coming into the game with Tupelo,” said twelve-year Arrow head coach Tyler Wade, who led the Arrows to the Class 7A Boys Soccer State Championship in 2022 and 2023.
“We had the lead and made a simple little mistake, and, unfortunately, we made simple little mistakes this season that compound and that teams took advantage of and got them back in it. But we keep fighting back.”
“We talked about what we needed to do before the game, but it just was not meant to be in the end.”
“This year, we only had six seniors, and it really hurts for those guys. I think they gave it everything they had.”
“We had beat Tupelo convincingly twice during the regular season, and it is hard mentally for players and coaches.”
“We’ve been through so [many] up and downs this season, and we as seniors feel bad we couldn’t pull it out at the end and go on to the semifinals. But I think the future is good for Clinton High soccer for the players coming back next year,” said senior Eric Martinez.
