TENNERTON – Which came first, the buzzer or the goal?
Unlike the chicken-and-the-egg scenario, this question has a definite answer: the goal.
The split-second difference between the ball crossing the line and the final buzzer gave the Buckhannon-Upshur High School boys soccer team an end to remember as the seniors trotted off the field of their final regular season home game Tuesday having earned a dramatic tie with rival Lewis County.
After a five-game stretch on the road, the Bucs returned home to take on their Route 33 rivals. They put on quite a show, outshooting the Minutemen 9-2 and controlling a 8-4 advantage in corner kicks.
But the only statistic that really mattered — the score — was tilted in favor of Lewis County for almost the entire match after Anthony Atchison controlled a ball sent in over the B-U defense, eluded keeper Logan Kelley and finished cleanly to give the visitors a 1-0 lead in just the 9th minute.
“What an exciting end to our home schedule,” head coach Mike Donato said. “We spent most of the game chasing after that goal we gave up early, and that had us rushing play for most of the night. Once we started to settle down and try to get into a flow of the game, we played a lot better.”
While the Bucs peppered Lewis County keeper Ethan Haught with shots — Haught made eight saves on the night — the tying goal eluded them. As the minutes ticked down, B-U became increasingly aggressive, but the Minutemen defense held strong — for exactly 79 minutes and 59 seconds.
The stunning conclusion began on a desperation shot from distance that was mishandled by the Lewis County keeper. B-U striker Ryan Hurst deflected the rebound in front of the net, where a streaking Bryer Ketterman got his foot on it and struck the ball over the goal line as the final buzzer sounded.
“I commend our team for not giving up and earning the draw,” Donato said. “I also want to thank our seniors who we honored tonight for all they’ve contributed to our program over the years.”
The Bucs head to Elkins Thursday night in their final regular season game and will then await their post-season pairings.
