Staff photo / Greg Macafee Cardinal Mooney’s Aidan Hryb (11) and an Ottawa Hills player both go to clear a ball during the Cardinals’ 1-0 loss to the Green Bears in the state semifinals.

SANDUSKY — Just two years ago, the Cardinal Mooney boys soccer team knocked off Toledo Ottawa Hills in the state semifinals to punch its ticket to the state championship game with a close victory.

Wednesday night at Sandusky High School’s Cedar Point Stadium, the Green Bears (18-4-1) returned the favor with a 1-0 victory, taking down the Cardinals to earn a trip to the Division III state finals.

With 7:09 left in the first half, Cardinal Mooney goalkeeper Aiden Markey came out of his goal mouth to punch away a cross, but Green Bears forward Brandon Lingo was able to get a head on the ball and knock it into the back of the net for what was ultimately the game-deciding goal.

“It just came down to finishing ability. We created numerous chances tonight, but we missed point-blank chances, and their keeper made a few big saves when they needed it,” Cardinal Mooney coach Matt Britton said. “But other than that, they created that one chance and got a goal from it.”

The Cardinals finish the 2022 season with a 17-4-1 record, but it also signifies the end of the line for the senior class that has helped the Mooney program accomplish so much over the past few years.

“It’s a phenomenal accomplishment what this senior class did because we came in together and before we got here, the program hadn’t had a winning record in eight years,” Britton said. “We turned it around in that first year, and this class has been to two state semifinals and played for a state championship. So just what they accomplished here in their four years is remarkable.”

Along with squaring off in the state semifinals two years ago, the two teams faced off earlier this season and Cardinal Mooney came away with a 2-0 victory on its home field. So, coming into their state semifinal matchup, Ottawa Hills coach Brian Hanudel said the Green Bears had a good idea of how to attack the Cardinals.

“We knew how technical and how well-coached they are,” Hanudel said. “That first game in Youngstown, they were a machine, they moved together, and everything was symbiotic with them. So we knew that coming in and we tried to do things to kind of get them out of that team shape. With set pieces, I mean our goal wasn’t a set piece but it was close to it with that cross and the header so we knew that could’ve been the difference.”

Throughout the first half, the two teams traded opportunities, as they attempted to stick to that team shape and work the ball around while looking to connect on long runs down the sideline as well. But, no one connected until Lingo’s goal with just over seven minutes left in the half at that point the Green Bears thought they might be in a good position.

“We knew it was going to be tight, we knew it was going to be a close game either way,” Hanudel said. “I mean hats off to Mooney, Matt, and those boys. They had a stellar season. We’ve been there, we’ve felt that pain, so we know what they are going through.”

Cardinal Mooney almost answered before the break, as freshman midfielder Angel Alvarez sent a long ball into the box from around the 30-yard line and found the head of forward Nick Pregibon, who then sent a header back into the middle of the box. Mason Janis received the header and sent a volley just wide of the Ottawa Hills goalpost.

The Cardinals were creating opportunities and although they were down, Britton said he told his players to just keep up the effort.

“Everything we were doing was good, we made a mistake on the goal, but other than that, we controlled possession of the ball, we were able to move them around, we were creating spaces, we were creating good looks. It just wasn’t falling,” Britton said.

The Green Bears were going to be a tough defense to break in general. They had won 11 straight coming into the state semifinals and goalkeeper Julian Jaume had only allowed three goals during that stretch. He had also tallied 12 shutouts this season.

But the Cardinals pressed on and brought the energy in the second half.

Early on, senior captain Dante DeGenova made a run from his defensive position and sent a shot from about 20 yards out just over the left corner of the crossbar. Then, a few minutes later, DeGenova sent a long ball into the box for Alex LaPlante, but Jaume came off his line to make a save around the penalty kick marker.

With around 18 minutes left, Janis had another close chance after a flurry of shots stemmed from a corner kick. Janis’ close shot around the goal mouth was eventually cleared off the line by a tough Ottawa Hills defense.

“It just wasn’t meant to be today, our finishing just wasn’t with us today, unfortunately,” Britton said.

The Cardinals graduate nine seniors from this year’s team but return Markey in net next season along with their top four goal scorers in Pregibon, Janis, Aidan Hryb and Dom Graziano.