Class A, No. 18 Cascade earned its first boys soccer regional championship Saturday over No. 14 Southwestern – denying the Spartans their first regional title.
Tied 1-1 after regulation and two seven-minute overtime periods, the Cadets (13-5-1) and Spartans (11-5-2) went to a round of five penalty kicks.
The drama built with each attempt as Cascade and Southwestern converted on their first four attempts.
Cascade connected on the fifth penalty kick to put added pressure on Southwestern – a successful conversion meant another round of five penalty kicks would follow while a miss meant an end to the postseason.
Southwestern missed and Cascade prevailed 5-4.
The Cadets scored first Saturday in the regional championship match at Knightstown High School. With 22 minutes left in the first half, the game’s first goal came off a corner kick.
Southwestern trailed 1-0 at halftime and midway through the second half before being awarded a penalty kick. Senior Aiden Hartsell converted to tie the game once again.
The goal was Hartsell’s 46th of the season and 110th of his career – both program records. Hartsell also holds the records for assists in a season and a career as well as goals in a game.
With the victory, Cascade advances to the Evansville North Semistate to face No. 3 Providence – the defending state champions. Providence defeated No. 8 Forest Park, 5-2, in the other southern Indiana regional championship match Saturday.
In the north half of the Class A bracket, No. 1 Park Tudor defeated No. 15 Carroll (Flora), 3-1, while No. 16 Westview eliminated No. 9 Illiana Christian in penalty kicks.
Park Tudor and Westview will face off Saturday in the Kokomo Semistate.
