Tanner's bid to repeat in boys soccer falls short
May 9—HUNTSVILLE — Tanner's defense of its Class 1A-3A boys state soccer title came to an end on Wednesday.
The Rattlers fell to Westminster-Oak Mountain 4-1 in the state semifinals at the Loretta P. Spencer Sports Complex at John Hunt Park in a rematch of last year's state semifinals.
Tanner claimed the first state championship in program history last season.
Westminster (18-4-4) will face St. Luke's (19-7-3) for the state championship on at 11:30 a.m.
The Knights are going for their fourth state title. Their last was in 2018 when they beat West Morgan.
St. Luke's has never won a state championship in boys soccer. It will be the Wildcats' second straight appearance in the final. They lost to Tanner last season.
St. Luke's beat Tuscaloosa Academy 6-1 in the other semifinal on Wednesday.
Westminster struck early against Tanner, taking a 1-0 lead when Charlie Krulak scored just 3:21 into the first half. Krulak scored again less than nine minutes later, while Aiden Gamble pushed the lead to 3-0 at halftime. David Bean found the back of the net at 54:01 in the second half for Westminster's final goal.
Justin Moreno ended Westminster's shutout bid with a penalty kick goal with 72 seconds left to play.
Tanner coach Matt Smith did not respond to messages left by The Daily.
The Rattlers' season ends with a record of 18-6-1 and the program's fifth straight trip to the state tournament.
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