Ever Reyes winds up to strike a penalty kick that resulted in Hobbton’s third goal, knotting the score at three late in the title match.
Daniel Espino, No. 5, sweeps the ball away from a Mount Airy defender as he drives the ball into the Granite Bear’s end of the field.
Hobbton’s Henry Garcia, No. 7, eyes the ball after sending a shot toward the Granite Bears’ goal.
Landry Beasley, No. 21, takes settles the ball after taking possession back for the Wildcats.
Hobbton’s Jonathan Salazar heads the ball into the midfield during first half action.
Hobbton goal keeper Everardo Escalera corrals a Mount Airy shot early in the match.
MATTHEWS — The moment the Hobbton Wildcats had been waiting for; the moment they have worked so hard to reach since early in the year was finally upon them — their long awaited return to the NCHSAA 1A State Soccer Championship and the possibility of earning redemption. It was all set to unfold Saturday at the Mecklenberg County Sportsplex when the Wildcats took on Mount Airy in the season finale. What ensued was a slugfest from start to finish, a game littered with lead changes and momentum swings. In the end, it was the Granite Bears that hung on for the victory, notching a dramatic 4-3 victory to break Hobbton’s heart two years in a row.
Partly cloudy conditions painted the sky and a modest breeze set the stage for Saturday’s big matchup as the two teams took the field, battling it out for championship hardware. When all the pregame ceremonies concluded, the action got underway. After an even back-and-forth exchange in the early going, advantage slowly turned in favor of Mount Airy. The Granite Bears got a flurry of rushes on Hobbton goalkeeper Everardo Escalera. Things really got dicey for the Wildcats as Escalera turned away consecutive shots on goal as Mount Airy mounted a furious offensive rush.
Hobbton was able to flip to the field and get a great opportunity on a Henry Garcia shot, but the Granite Bears returned the favor of shutting down the threat and the game stayed scoreless through 36:45.
With possession now back in the Wildcats defensive zone, they were again on their back paws when a foul inside the box gave Mount Airy a penalty kick. The Granite Bears’ Chris Castillo beat Escalera to his left but the shot was off target and rolled harmlessly out of bounds for a goal kick.
Suddenly, the field flipped again as the Wildcats were right back on their offensive. Garcia got the ball on his foot and weaved through traffic for an assault on the goal. With 31:19 on the clock in the first half, Garcia won the battle with Mount Airy goalkeeper and gave Hobbton the lead at 1-0.
After that, the game transitioned into a battle in the midfield, both teams exchanging attacks on the goal that weren’t providing any scoring changes. The game also slowly became more chippy with lots of contact that somehow resulted in more fouls called against the Wildcats than the Granite Bears. With 6:03 left before halftime, this proved to be highly advantageous for Mount Airy as a foul straightaway of the goal resulted in a free kick from about 20 yards away. Angel Ortiz-Osorno sent the free kick inward, which was high enough to blaze into the net just out of Escalera’s reach, tying the game up at 1-1.
Just a couple minutes later around the 4:20 mark, the Granite Bears again had another whistle in their favor as the fouls against Hobbton were mounting. This free kick, again by Ortiz-Osorno, was knocked down by Escalera, preserving the 1-1 tie.
Down the stretch, there were lots of opportunities that both teams missed out on as the teams broke for halftime all square at 1-1.
At the onset of the second half, possession was largely held by Mount Airy as the Wildcats came out seemingly lethargic. They had trouble flipping the field and were forced to fight to keep the score tied. Unfortunately for them, at 31:35 Ortiz-Osorno struck again, putting the Granite Bears in front for the first time at 2-1.
At 30:35, Mount Airy got in close again, but the Wildcats closed in and made the play to thwart the goal.
Hobbton finally began to get a little more offensive but continued to be picked on by officiating crew. Both teams were guilty of dishing out contact, but it was the Wildcats who were victims of foul calls.
As such, the Granite Bears were becoming more aggressive and ratcheted up their offense. At 25:25, Jonathan Valadez connected in traffic and got a shot through for another goal, putting Mount Airy up 3-1.
The Granite Bears were not letting up as they could begin to smell the title of state champion. They continued to attack the goal, getting a relentless barrage of shots that the Hobbton defense somehow managed to keep out of the goal.
At 20:33, the Wildcats generated a free kick but the shot was just over the crossbar, yielding a goal kick for Mount Airy and leaving the score 3-1.
With 15:16 to go, Hobbton finally got a huge call to go their way. The Granite Bears were assessed a penalty inside the box. With that, Ever Reyes converted the PK, bringing the tally to 3-2 with the game entering crunch time.
At the 10:40 mark, Garcia and the Wildcats missed a big opportunity after Garcia’s shot on goal was too high above the crossbar, maintaining the 3-2 margin.
Garcia, though, eventually found the equalizer with 8:25 to go, getting free for a one-on-one with the goalkeeper. Garcia won that battle and tied things back up at 3-3.
The celebration was short-lived, though, as Ortiz-Osorno played hero for Mount Airy. After Escalera knocked away one shot on goal, Ortiz-Osorno grabbed the rebound and fired it back in, a shot that was mere millimeters out of reach for Escalera, putting the Granite Bears back ahead at 4-3 with 6:12 to go.
Hobbton scrapped to the bitter end, fighting for one more tying goal but it just wasn’t meant to be. Mount Airy completed their Cinderella run as a No. 13 seed, claiming the NCHSAA 1A Soccer State Championship by the 4-3 final.
The Wildcats finished the season at 23-6-1.