PHOTO BY BUTCH RISMA

The CVCA Royals yielded a golden goal in the first overtime and lost the OHSAA Div. III championship boys soccer match 2-1 to Worthington Christian on Friday afternoon at Crew Stadium.

COLUMBUS -- The result of the OHSAA Division III boys soccer championship Friday proved to be a test of everything Cuyahoga Valley Christian Academy stands for.

And the Royals passed with flying colors.

Worthington Christian (18-1-4) won the title match 2-1 at Crew Stadium in the first overtime when CVCA freshman goalkeeper Nick Ciraldo was unable to corral a routine ball.

It was a crushing loss for the Royals (16-1-5), who offered no excuses, placed no blame, and were attempting to become the first undefeated state championship squad in school history.

Asked what he said to Ciraldo after the match, first-year coach Jon Taylor replied: "I love you."

Many figured CVCA would be in a rebuilding mode in 2009, graduating 22 seniors, including nine starters, from its 2008 Division II state runner-up team. The team also lost popular head coach Jason Spodnik, now an administrator at the school since giving way to Taylor.

"All year I think that we've exceeded expectations," Taylor said. "I don't know how many people expected us to be at this game. And I think the only reason that we're here is because everybody bought into this idea of playing for something bigger than just this team."

To a player, the Royals embraced their heartsick goalkeeper and reassured him. They agreed the match was not lost on one play.

"It's not just based on one or two plays that he made a mistake on, it's the whole season, the whole process is the reward, the journey's reward. We believe it and we believe it fully," junior wing Evan Crocker said. "It's unfortunate that we had a few mistakes here and there, but we fought hard as a team and we fought back after we went down. We're a strong team and we did it together. That's the best part about it. It's unfortunate, but that's not why we're sad. We're just sad it's over. The seniors have given so much to us."

Worthington Christian was the superior team in a scoreless first half. The Warriors had six shots on goal and four corner kicks compared to one shot and no corners for the Royals.

CVCA had the better of the play during the first 10 minutes of the second half. However, in the 53rd minute, Worthington Christian freshman Albert Miller crossed the ball into the penalty area. CVCA defender Stephen Morris miskicked the ball and it popped straight up in the air. With backspin, the ball floated in reverse toward Ciraldo in goal. He jumped to catch the ball and had it slip through his gloves into the net.

The Royals ramped up their play and in the 68th minute pulled even at 1-1 on a beautiful header goal by junior Jack Thompson, his 15th goal of the playoffs. CVCA sophomore Sachem Wilson created the opportunity with some fancy footwork in the right corner and then got off a textbook cross. Thompson lunged and headed the ball on a line into the back of the net.

"I thought that our team played very good soccer, especially in the second half," Taylor said.

CVCA survived a point blank chance by WC senior Collin King when Ciraldo came up big with 2:38 left in regulation time.

WC claimed some early momentum in the first overtime. At the 7:20 mark, junior midfielder Trent Smith got off a rolling shot from the left-hand side of the field. Ciraldo appeared to have it smothered, but the ball slithered through his arms and between his legs, bounced slowly off the post, and trickled into the goal. It was a golden goal, and many of the stunned Royals collapsed to the playing surface.

"I know that in about 20 minutes the guys are going to be singing together in the locker room," Taylor said. "In about 35 minutes we're all going to be on a bus together. In about 45 minutes, we're going to be at Polaris Mall, enjoying our families, enjoying our fans, and enjoying each other. We're going to go back on the bus. By the time that both teams eat their Thanksgiving dinner, I think that emotions are balanced out and I think that we really take away every lesson that we possibly could have learned today regardless of the result."