GARDEN CITY, Idaho — One Knoxville SC will not get to defend its USL League One crown any further. The reigning champions were knocked out in the playoff quarterfinals on Sunday night, losing 2-0 to AC Boise at the Stadium at Expo Idaho in Garden City, Idaho.
Boise, the No. 3 seed, was playing the first postseason match in its history and controlled most of the night. Tumi Moshobane put the hosts in front in the 37th minute with a tap-in after Nick Moon slid the ball across from the back post. Moon set up the clincher as well, feeding Jesús Barea for a goal in the 92nd minute.
Knoxville came close to leveling before the break. Leading scorer Denis Krioutchenkov headed a Will Perkins cross past goalkeeper Jonathan Kliewer, but the ball struck the outside of the post. Early in the second half Kliewer dove to his right to turn away a hard shot from midfielder Teddy Baker, the same player whose goal beat Boise in Idaho back in July.
The numbers leaned heavily toward Boise. The hosts outshot One Knox 18-7, put nine shots on target to two, and had 26 touches in the penalty area compared with 11 for Knoxville, even though the visitors finished with 53 percent of the ball. Goalkeeper Johan Garibay kept it close with six saves.
Head coach Ian Fuller said his side reached good attacking spots but did not finish its chances, and he took the blame for a defense that was not set up well enough. He praised Garibay and said he was proud of the effort over a long season. It was the third straight playoff trip for the club, which joined the league in 2023. Boise moves on to face Charlotte Independence in the semifinals.
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