Thanks to goals from Corey Plasker, Ali El Khalil and Holden Fender, Walton defeated Parkview 3-0 on Wednesday night in the semifinals of the Class AAAAA boys soccer tournament.
The win gave coach Bucky Boozer, who has led the Raiders since 1985, a chance for a storybook ending to his career in his final season. He will lead Walton (15-4) against Collins Hill, which defeated the Raiders 3-0 earlier this season, in a bid for his sixth title on Saturday.
Theaffection the players and fans carry for Boozer was evident after the game. He received an ice-bucket shower as fans stormed the field in his last game in Raider Valley.
"It was a combined effort," Boozer said. "Our defending was disciplined for most of the game; when they came at us, we kept our shape and didn't give them too many chances."
Walton took a 1-0 when lead El Khalil rumbled down the right side, shaking off tackles to deliver a short, hard cross that Plasker punched into the goal with 13 minutes remaining in the first half. The Raiders tried to play down the wings, but Plasker's finish was their first legitimate shot and just the second goal Parkview has allowed in the tournament.
Parkview controlled the play, with four shots to Walton's two, to that point. Both sides marked the other team's best strikers closely. Plasker's goal came on his first shot. The Raiders have put the clamps on most opponents in the tournament, allowing two goals in the first game and none in the next two.
El Khalil's younger brother, Jad, missed a chance to give the Raiders a 2-0 lead when Parkview keeper Jack Falle pushed his point-blank shot over the crossbar with 15 minutes remaining.
Taking advantage of Parkview's need to commit men to the attack, Ali El Khalil, a Georgia State signee, put the game away with another strong run down the right side. He turned the corner on Parkview's defense and slammed a shot into the bottom left corner of the goal with eight minutes remaining. Fender added a third goal with three minutes left on a well-placed direct kick that he curved around the wall and into the left corner.
"They took advantage of opportunities; they made opportunities happen," Parkview coach Michael Tolmich said. "We struggled to make opportunities happen."
About the Author
