Quote: In a stunner, Pinewood goes up to Cardinal Newman and takes out the Cardinals in PKs. Pinewood meets archrival Porter-Gaud in the Graveyard Saturday night for the championship.
SCISA CLASS 3A BOYS SOCCER: PINEWOOD PREP 1, CARDINAL NEWMAN 0 Panthers shock No. 1 Cardinals Pinewood Prep hands CN a rare shutoutPinewood Prep hands CN a rare shutout By JOHN DEVLIN - Special to The State
Cardinal Newman ended Pinewood Prep�s SCISA boys soccer reign as year ago, and the Panthers from Summerville returned the favor on Thursday at George Watson Field.
Pinewood (13-10) pulled off a 1-0, shootout upset of the top-ranked, defending champion Cardinals in the Class 3A semifinals and will take on Lowcountry rival Porter-Gaud in Saturday�s title bout at Stone Stadium.
�It�s not that I didn�t think Pinewood could beat us, but never in a million years did I think that we�d be shut out,� Cardinal Newman coach Will Eudy said.
�I can�t really explain why it happened this way, but it did and it�s tough to take. I feel so bad for these guys, especially the seniors. This isn�t the way we wanted it to end.�
Cardinal Newman, which finished 17-5, came into the match averaging 4.3 goals per game this season and hadn�t been shut out in its 65 previous outings.
The Cardinals controlled the flow during regulation, out-shooting the Panthers 26-7 while earning a 7-1 advantage in corner kick opportunities, but the bottom line was too many off-target shots and brilliant play by Pinewood Prep keeper Ryan Moore.
�We had our chances but we certainly didn�t finish like we�re capable of doing, and (Moore) played great. He won them the game,� Eudy said.
Moore finished with 16 saves, and was equally adept at anticipating Cardinal intentions and repeatedly cut off crossing passes through the box to negate potential scoring chances.
�We knew it was going to be a challenge coming up here and playing Cardinal Newman on this small field, but my guys persevered and kept working,� Panthers coach Enrique Rodriguez said. �Ryan made it all work in the net. No question, he was the key to the win.�
In the other end, Cardinal Newman keeper Thomas Wilczewski was called on to make four saves in 110 minutes of play in regulation and overtime.
Pinewood Prep was 5-for-5 in the penalty kick shootout against Wilczewski with Kevin Weber�s clean score on the fifth rotation being the game-winner.
Cardinal Newman had conversions from stars Nestor Jaramillo and Koty Millard, senior Thomas Touma and freshman Jack Sicker, but Andrew Wilczewski�s wide-of-the-mark launch on the fourth rotation proved costly.
