In a breathtaking finish that will be remembered for years, the Saint Ignatius Soccer Cats clinched an unprecedented sixth consecutive State Championship with a stunning last-second goal in double overtime from Junior Bryce Ince-Lovelace against Columbus St. Charles from Historic Crew Stadium.
The Wildcats and Cardinals were familiar with each other coming into the match, having played each other in a regular-season game on September 7. The first meeting showcased offensive firepower, but on Sunday night in the State Championship, it was a display of unwavering defense and tremendous plays from the goalies.
Sunday would also mark a 2016 OHSAA Division I State Championship rematch between these two programs. In that game, the Wildcats defeated the undefeated Cardinals 2-1.
St. Charles would begin with possession, and the State Championship was underway from Historic Crew Stadium.
The first shot on goal came just three minutes into the contest as junior Dom Ruggiero had a clean look at the net, but St. Charles' Aiden Rice made the save. The ball would deflect back into the field of play, where junior Sammy Trivisonno had a crack at it, but his shot flew wide.
What was a storyline all night, along with tremendous defensive play, was the prowess in net from Rice for the Cardinals and Joshua Speelman for the Wildcats. Rice would make eight saves on the night and Speelman with three.
The Wildcats would dominate time of possession in the first half, but the Cardinals continued to find ways to clear the ball from the box and allow their keeper to continue to make plays. After 40 minutes of play, we remained scoreless from Columbus.
In the first minutes of the second half, the Wildcats were threatening once again. Ruggiero made an impressive move to give him space to make a pass to Ince-Lovelace in the box. Ince-Lovelace would finess a shot to the lower left corner of the net. Two Cardinal defenders were there, and it nearly squeezed by, but again, Rice came in to make a play on the ball to keep the Cats off the board.
As regulation was coming to an end, the Wildcats had one more chance on a corner kick. Marty McLaughlin put an excellent kick into the box, but Justis Olorunto could not put a head on the ball. The Cardinals would regain the possession and let the remaining time expire.
For a second consecutive State Championship, the Wildcats were heading into overtime. It would also be the Wildcats' second overtime in as many games, with them going to OT against Olentangy in the State Semifinal.
In the first overtime frame, the Wildcats would earn a couple of chances with a pair of Zalan Onodi corner kicks, but the Cardinals continued to find ways to thwart the Wildcats' attack. It comes back to Rice, who never wavered and was aggressive when making a save.
The first overtime came to an end, which meant one more 15-minute overtime period. At this point, both Wildcat and Cardinal players were running on fumes, having played for 95 minutes to this point. The Cardinals were looking to force penalty kicks, and the Wildcats were looking to avoid a second straight season coming down to PKs.
Both teams had great looks throughout the second overtime. It began with the Cats moving into the box, Sam Minadeo finding Ryan Corrigan, but Corrigan's shot went wide. Onodi then showcased his strength, weaving through defenders. Onodi was drug down by his jersey in the box, but no call was made, and the Cardinals took over.
With three minutes remaining in the second overtime, the Cardinals had their best shot of the night. Looking to fire a shot into the left upright corner of the net, senior Joshua Speelman used his 6'2 frame to make a superb full extension save to keep the game going.
After another Wildcat offensive chance was thwarted, this match appeared to go into penalty kicks with just 30 tics on the clock. But a magical play that will forever be remembered in Saint Ignatius athletics began to develop.
McLaughlin would have the ball around midfield, and he would pass it off to Ruggiero. Ruggiero had no quit in him. He raced up the left side of the pitch, keeping control of the ball despite heavy pressure from Sebastian Isbell.
The PA announcer began to countdown the remaining time, starting at ten. Somehow, Ruggiero was able to cross a perfect ball into the box for Ince-Lovelace. With a swift of his left leg, Ince-Lovelace made history, putting the ball past Rice and walking it off with one second remaining in double overtime.
The moment is never too bright for Ince-Lovelace, who scored the equalizer on a header against Moeller a season ago, which would force overtime.
For a sixth consecutive season, the Wildcats have been the OHSAA Division I State Champions and have now won an astounding 14 titles as a program.
For St. Charles Prep, it was still a season to remember. With the division's expanding in the OHSAA, the Cardinals had the opportunity to play in Division II, but instead, requested to play in Division I and they proved themselves, coming just a second away from forcing penalty kicks against the Wildcats.
The Wildcats finished the season 16-4-2 and surrendered just one goal in six playoff games. Joshua Speelman and Sean Gerba kept a clean sheet for the Wildcats all postseason long.
The celebration continues for the Wildcats, but now it is on for the pursuit of seven State Championships in a row beginning in 2025.