The #7 (2A) AP/DNH boys soccer team was stunned by Center Point-Urbana Wednesday, falling 3-2 in overtime in a substate final that aired on 99 The Wave.
The Stormin Pointers scored within the first four minutes for a 1-0 lead. The United started racking up shots, and with 19:38 left in the first half, Gavin Bernard connected for a goal to tie the game. In the closing seconds of the first half, CPU scored on a long goal that snuck past the fingertips of goalkeeper Adrian Huisman to take a 2-1 halftime lead.
The United scored early in the second half when Walker Weedman connected on a tying shot. A frantic end to regulation with many shots yielded no goals, and the game went to overtime. With 4:33 left, CPU connected on another long goal to end the game. Head Coach Perry Bernard.
“I gotta give credit to CPU, they’re a great team and I knew going into it, we were very evenly matched,” Bernard says. “I kind of feel like we got a little slow start to it, but towards the middle of that first half, we started really putting the pressure on. I feel like we dominated and then even second half, we were pushing a lot, playing a harder game. But you know what, in overtime, that’s all it takes is that one quick lucky shot and then that ends it. It’s not the way I wanted to end the season, but I’m extremely proud of the boys, what they’ve done this year. And I can’t fault anything of how they played tonight. They played their hearts out. They wanted to go to state, and unfortunately it was just that close, just that one shot, and that’s it.”
CPU advances to the Class 2A State Tournament at 11-4. AP/DNH’s season ends at 14-5.
Interview with Perry Bernard:
