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Morristown East’s patient, opportunistic offense used Jefferson County’s pressure to make Diamonds on Tuesday night.

The ‘Canes upset the top seeded Patriots in their first round District 2-3A Tournament matchup, keeping their season alive. The performance and leadership of senior Freddy Rivera spearheaded the 2-0 victory, one they earned despite not possessing the ball for much of the early going in the first half and allowing a number of shots on target in the second half.

“That was the whole plan. They beat us 5-0 last time. They’re expecting to beat us. If we keep that score at zero, they’re going to get desperate, they’re going to start pushing numbers and they’re going to leave space,” East coach Luis Sanchez said. “That was the game plan, we executed it correctly, and it showed on the field.”

The momentum certainly began on the side of Jefferson County. Early in the first half, they were the aggressors, pushing the ball forward on offense, getting into the attacking third, and maintaining a high press when the ‘Canes gained possession of the ball. They appeared the more poised team, forcing East to make quick decisions that led to poor passes.

As the ‘Canes acclimated to the pressure being applied by the opposing attack, the momentum began to shift. As Sanchez had anticipated, the Patriots began to push numbers and left a sliver of space for East’s Bryan Godines to send the ball to Keny Hernandez who put it in the back of the net to put them up 1-0 in the 13th minute.

Allowing the early goal caused Jeff County to play in a more urgent fashion, beginning to force the issue and again allowing too much space. This time it was for Jesus Guerrero, who scored a screamer from outside of the penalty box to extend the East lead just four minutes later.

Despite a solid chance created by Luca Fusetti in the 40th minute, and another good look at the goal off of a corner in the 43rd, the Patriots entered the locker room at halftime down 2-0.

Things started to get testy in the second half. The two teams ended the game with six combined yellow cards including three between the 58th and 59th minutes and a second yellow that sent Jeff County’s Oliver Diaz off in the 71st. The importance of the game to both teams was evident and with the Patriots incurring five of the six themselves, so was the frustration.

However, with their season on the line, they came out of the locker room ready to play. With the ‘Canes playing more defenders back, the press of the Patriots yielded them a number of chances, having especially good looks at the goal in the 57th and 74th minutes; only to be stymied by Freddy Rivera.

“That’s why he’s the captain,” Sanchez said. “That’s why we chose him to be a captain. His ability to lead on the field and keep focused the entire game. Our defense played well today, but every time we let one through Freddy saved us. His performance was really important for us.”

“It feels really good.” Rivera himself said after the game. “I actually wasn’t feeling too well today, but when we got here it just clicked. I just locked in and focused up, and we got the result we wanted.

In the final moments of the game, you could feel the emotion from both sides. Elation from the winning side of East contrasted by the disappointment of the Patriots, whose season abruptly ended with the final whistle on Tuesday.

The win for East sets the stage for their matchup against crosstown rival Morristown West at 7 p.m. on Thursday in the District 2-3A championship game. West defeated Sevier County 2-1 in the other semifinal match on Tuesday. The ‘Canes will be looking to avenge their 4-3 loss in extra time from the regular season.