The stands were full on Nov. 7 as the Bayless High School boys’ soccer team faced off against the Affton High School Cougars — a South County showdown for the title of Class 2 District 2 champions. Despite ending the first rounds of the tournament with two shutouts, the Bayless Bronchos knew it would be a tough battle against Affton; no seat was spared, says head coach Dave Pozzo.
Bayless emerged victorious with a score of 4-1 versus Affton. The team earned the district title and continued down the path to state.
“We knew, going into districts, that it was going to be a tough battle,” Pozzo said. “Affton and Clayton are two of the top teams in the state. Affton had a couple really elite players on the offensive side that we were able to keep in check.”
The Bronchos kicked off the district tournament on Nov. 3 with a crushing 7-0 victory over the Collegiate School of Medicine and Bioscience, a magnet school near Tower Grove Park. Then came a match-up against Clayton High School; with a 1-0 victory, Bayless won and again left the other team scoreless. These games joined the team’s record of 16 shutouts this season. Before state, Bayless had a season record of 21-7.
“Even though we hit some bumps in the road while playing some of those top teams, we kept growing and getting better,” Pozzo said. “We used those to ask ourselves, ‘What do we need to do?’”
Pozzo says that the Bronchos had an “underdog confidence” going into the final round of districts, considering Bayless was the third seed and Affton was the first. He attributes some of the positive energy to his seniors: the class of 2026 makes up nine of their 16 players.
“I felt like (the seniors) were ready to go,” Pozzo said. “It was an option — even as a three seed, going against those teams — that if we went out there and did what we needed to do, we could walk away with the championship.”
The coach especially recognizes the contributions of goalkeeper Amar Alajbegovic, who had “three or four huge saves in the game,” and midfielder Muris Huric, who scored two goals during the championship match-up.
Pozzo also applauded Carsyn Ly, centerback and team captain, for his flip throw-ins; using that move, he assisted the first and third goals and scored the second goal of the night. Ly has had 10 goals and 14 assists throughout the season, with three goals and five of those assists taking place during the district tournament.
Heading into the Missouri Class 2 state tournament, Pozzo said that his team — and especially his nine seniors — were ready for what’s to come. He did admit that it would be another tough battle against Perryville, who before state had a season record of 14-4.
“The boys are really loose, which I’m hoping is a good thing,” Pozzo said ahead of the state tournament. “They’re enjoying it. The seniors are really embracing another week of being together and being able to keep playing when most of the teams in the state are done.”
In the first match-up of the state tournament against Perryville High School on Nov. 15, after The Call’s original press time, Bayless was defeated 1-0.