Late goal sends Randolph past Portville in ‘C’ quarters
OBSERVER Photo by Christian Storms Randolph captain Gavin Senn, center, is congratulated by teammates Grady Steward, left, and Chris Reynolds after scoring the game-winning goal against Portville in the Section VI Class C quarterfinals at Allegany-Limestone High School on Thursday.
OBSERVER Photo by Christian Storms Randolph's Jaydan Champlin, right, celebrates his goal with Tanner Patterson during the first half against Portville in the Section VI Class C quarterfinals on Thursday at Allegany-Limestone High School.
OBSERVER Photo by Christian Storms Randolph's Isaac Pihlblad, right, battles with Portville's Colin German for possession during the Section VI Class C quarterfinals at Allegany-Limestone High School on Thursday.
OBSERVER Photo by Christian Storms Randolph captain Gavin Senn, center, is congratulated by teammates Grady Steward, left, and Chris Reynolds after scoring the game-winning goal against Portville in the Section VI Class C quarterfinals at Allegany-Limestone High School on Thursday.
OBSERVER Photo by Christian Storms Randolph's Jaydan Champlin, right, celebrates his goal with Tanner Patterson during the first half against Portville in the Section VI Class C quarterfinals on Thursday at Allegany-Limestone High School.
OBSERVER Photo by Christian Storms Randolph's Isaac Pihlblad, right, battles with Portville's Colin German for possession during the Section VI Class C quarterfinals at Allegany-Limestone High School on Thursday.
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ALLEGANY -- After leveling the score in the 64th minute, Portville continued its relentless attack toward the Randolph goal seeking the winner in the Section VI Class C boys soccer quarterfinals.
Watching Tanner Patterson's free kick sail into the Portville box during the 71st minute, Randolph senior Gavin Senn patiently waited for his moment and, after Grady Steward knocked the ball out of the scrum, Senn made his move with a quick strike that put the Cardinals ahead for good, 2-1 on Thursday night at Allegany-Limestone High School.
"The wind was definitely a factor," Randolph head coach Dave Pihlblad stated. "We had to go into it in the second half with a 1-0 lead and Portville was all over us for the first 15-20 minutes of the half. They got that goal and deep down inside I didn't have a good feeling because we weren't creating and they were all over us. Then just one moment, it's in the back of the net and we held on for dear life the last 10 minutes there."
The Cardinals regained the lead less than 10 minutes after Portville's Colin German leveled the score at 1-1, finishing a great run shooting back to the left while dribbling past the Randolph defense. With Portville already in control of the momentum much of the second half, German's goal tipped the scales even further and the Cardinals looked to be hanging on for overtime.
Instead, it was Randolph getting that next goal and the Cardinals really put the pressure on their Chautauqua-Cattaraugus Athletic Association Division II rival to score again in the final nine minutes.
"I've played against JJ (McIntosh) for years and years," Pihlblad said about Portville's coach. "Every game, it doesn't matter what our records are, it's a one-goal game, it's an absolute dogfight. Both teams are really good, compete hard, battle and we knew it was going to be another one, a chapter in the book between us and Portville."
Portville gave Randolph all it had in the final nine minutes that included three corners, a goal that was called off due to the ball going over the touch line before the cross and a final free kick just outside the box with about 15 seconds left.
The Randolph defense came up big when it was needed most, but standing out for the Cardinals was goalkeeper Randy Nottingham, who made six big saves in the contest to keep his team ahead.
"Randy is unbelievable," Pihlblad said. "They had probably four shots than an average high school goalie is not going to save. They peppered the net all night, Randy stood on his head and won us the game, for sure. He kept us in it and made a couple huge saves to save it there."
The Cardinals used the wind to their advantage in the first half, grabbing the lead in the 19th minute after several chances in the early going.
"We lost the coin flip. We were going to go the other way if we had the choice," Pihlblad said. "We said we had to have that lead at the half, because we knew the second half was going to be a grind with that wind. We got up 1-0 and told them at halftime that's probably not going to be the last goal."
Randolph received its first goal from an unlikely hero with senior Isaac Pihlblad sending a hard pass that somehow made it across the goal to the far post for Jaydan Champlin. The sophomore knocked home the loose ball for his first goal of his career on the big stage in the playoffs.
"Jaydan Champlin hasn't scored a goal all year," Pihlblad said. "We were talking about it on the bus ride over that he's been playing really good and he's just been kind of snakebitten. He hasn't been able to score, he's had chances and of course in the biggest moment he gets his first career goal. It's just a huge moment for us, for him and that was awesome to see."
Randolph's attack in the first half had several great opportunities, but it had to settle for just a 1-0 lead. Even after watching that lead disappear, the Cardinals persevered with a big goal to reach the Class C semifinals.
While the Panthers (8-4-3) were a familiar foe that Randolph (10-5-2) had already managed a win against earlier this season, the Cardinals will now face one of its biggest challenges. On Monday, Randolph travels to top-seeded Wilson (15-1-1), which returns most of its players who reached the Class C state championship game last season.
"Wilson is really good," Pihlblad said about his semifinal opponent. "I believe they made it to the state championship game last year and lost. But they brought back a lot of guys. They're going to be tough and we're just excited for another opportunity."