Buffaloes finish historic season in OSSAA playoff quarterfinals
May 2—TULSA — The Buffs blazed many trails this season.
McAlester traveled Thursday to Tulsa to face Tulsa Edison in the second round of the Oklahoma Secondary School Activities Association Class 5A soccer playoffs, where the Buffaloes fell to the Eagles 6-0 after advancing to the quarterfinals for the first time in program history.
"I know the score doesn't reflect, but I thought they played hard," coach Ra'shaud Buie said after the game.
The first half of the game was dominated by Tulsa Edison. McAlester struggled to find and keep possession of the ball due to immense pressure from Tulsa Edison. The Eagles wasted no time in taking multiple goal attempts — 13 of them blocked or stopped by Brandon McDaniel.
However, the Eagles managed to get two goals into the back of the net, giving the Eagles the 2-0 lead over McAlester at halftime.
McAlester kept fighting during the second half. The Buffaloes took their first goal attempts of the game, coming from Jaime Carranza and Christopher Lopez, but were missed or blocked. The domination from Tulsa Edison continued with four more goals getting into the net, giving the Eagles the 6-0 win over McAlester.
"I thought they played their hearts out and shouldn't be disappointed in anything," Buie said.
And Buie made sure his team understood the trails they blazed this season.
"I told them there's nothing to be disappointed in. Last year, when the season ended, I told them this is the best program has ever seen — and again, I get the honor of saying that," he said. "This is the best the program has ever seen because they have fought all season and at some point it has to end, whether it's on a low note or a very high note."
Reflecting on the season, Buie said he is "super proud" of his seniors.
"We as a team took the program from nothing, absolutely nothing, and brought it to what it is — reaching the playoffs twice, getting a playoff win, hosting a playoff game, finishing second in district, I could go on and on about the accolades," he said. "But (they're a) phenomenal group of young men and extremely proud of them."
