Marist Boys Blank Scrappy Apalachee, 1-0, in State Playoffs

No. 1 seed boys' soccer team withstood a stern challenge from visiting No. 4 seed Apalachee, but still prevailed, winning 1-0 in a hard-fought Class AAAA first-round playoff contest Wednesday evening as storm clouds loomed overhead.

Marist's (15-3-1) aggressive offensive pressure finally broke through the Bulldogs’ defense with 12:13 remaining in the game on a Marek Moffett goal. Moffett scored his second goal of the season when a Patrick Jackson shot attempt was deflected and caromed across the box. The junior cleaned up the deflection with a tap-in past keeper Richard Xiong for the only score the War Eagles would need.

"It wasn't a spectacular goal, but a goal is a goal," said Moffett, a junior. "I just slipped it on in there."

The War Eagles missed a handful of scoring chances in the first half, including a Thomas Withorn shot that hit the crossbar and two headers that sailed over the goal.

"It was a frustrating first half for us," said Marist head coach Brendan Murphy. "We left a lot of goals on the field. I felt like we should have more. The guys came off at halftime and they were just frustrated."

Apalachee, which finishes the season with a record of 10-9, got a heroic performance from Xiong to keep them in the game. Xiong stopped a penalty kick with 7:15 left in the first half after a hand ball was called on Apalachee in the box. He finished the game with eight saves.

"That was a huge save on the PK [penalty kick] in the first half to maintain momentum and keep us in the game," said Apalachee head coach Chad Hooper.

In the second round, Marist will host No. 2 seed Chattahoochee (15-3-1) on Wednesday, May 4 in a duel of state-ranked clubs. Marist is ranked No. 3 and Chattahoochee is No. 4 in the polls. The Cougars defeated No. 3 seed Osborne 4-0 in the first round.

"Chattahoochee's a powerhouse and they have been for years," Murphy said. "It's going to be a really good matchup."