Finchum's two goals lift Greeneville over Nolensville for Class AA state soccer title

Cecil Joyce
Nashville Tennessean

It's safe to say Sydney Finchum and her Greeneville teammates breathed a sigh of relief when an offsides call negated a late Nolensville goal in the second half of Saturday's Class AA state soccer finals at Page High.

The shot by Nolensville's Elise Dobson would have tied the game in the 65th minute, but the penalty allowed Greeneville (19-7) to hold on for a 2-1 win and its third state title in the past five years.

"I wasn't sure, but when I saw (the official) raise the flag, I knew it was offsides," said Finchum, who scored both of the Lady Green Devils' goals. "We were kind of lucky there."

Finchum scored a first-half goal on a header off an assist on a corner kick from fellow senior Emily Graham. She then broke a 1-1 tie in the 51st minute.

"It's the most fantastic way (to end a career)," said FInchum, whose squad won a state title her freshman season then reached the finals the next year. "There's no better way than to win a championship.

"Losing nine seniors from my sophomore year to my junior year, it was hard to build back up. But this year, since the beginning, we knew what we could accomplish and we accomplished it."

Nolensville (14-4-3) was playing in its first state title match after reaching the final four last season.

After falling behind 1-0 in the 29th minute on Finchum's first goal, the Lady Knights wasted little time responding. Millie Smith found the back of the net on an assist by Baylee Farr in the 32nd minute to tie things at 1-1 at intermission.

Nolensville had opportunities after Finchum's second goal, but the negated goal deflated the Lady Knights' chances.

Greeneville's Sydney Finchum (19) reacts to scoring against Nolensville during the second half of the Class AA soccer final at Page High School in Franklin, Tenn., Saturday, Nov. 9, 2019.

"We didn't really put much of a threat on their goal after that," said Nolensville coach Eric Shelton, whose squad made their first state tourney appearance last season. "Looking back, I can see where that might have been a turning point at the end, where you need the extra momentum to get the extra goal, and that kind of takes the wind out of your sails."

Nolensville graduates nine seniors that were instrumental in the team's two-year state run.

"The seniors are the ones that set the tone for this team," Shelton said. "When you have players like Trystan Wepking, Kaitlyn Sneed, Baylee Farr and Sydney Hummell, you have great leadership. They welcomed everybody to the team, they pushed everybody to be better, and they were fun to be around."

Nolensville holds theur trophy after their loss to Greeneville in the Class AA soccer final at Page High School in Franklin, Tenn., Saturday, Nov. 9, 2019.