CULLMAN, Ala. – A row of pickup trucks, all packed with students, lined the east fence of the Cullman Soccer Complex on Saturday night. With both Bearcat squads on the verge of the Final Four, the students brought a little extra energy. The music, the chants and the taunting all brought about a true playoff atmosphere, and an intensity that made its way onto the pitch for both games.
VARSITY GIRLS: Athens 2, Cullman 0
The Lady Bearcats’ matchup with Athens was all defense for the first 28 minutes, with both teams attempting to establish some semblance of rhythm or pressure, but neither successful. In the 29th minute, Athens midfielder Allison Miranda broke the ice with a strike past Cullman’s Kendall Bussman to make it 1-0.
After giving up the score, Bussman was a steel curtain for the remainder of the half, making highlight diving saves to continue giving the Bearcats’ offense a chance to catch up.
After a one-score first half, Athens broke through again early in the second. Midfielder Layne Tarokh put a move on a Cullman defender, then faked out Bussman and snuck a shot over her head to make it 2-0.
Both teams had been physical the entirety of the match, but with under 10 minutes to go, it ramped up. While the student sections jawed at one another, a scrum broke out on the field after an Athens player pulled down a Lady Bearcat by the shoulders. Cullman got a new boost of energy, but were unable to come up with any offense in the final minutes. With the loss, the Lady Bearcats’ season ended at 19-4 with a trip to the Elite Eight.
VARSITY BOYS: Gadsden City 1, Cullman 0 (Sudden Death PK)
Cullman’s boys matchup was just as intense, especially on the defensive side of the ball. Goalkeeper Levi Hokanson was a human highlight reel on Saturday night, flying to all corners of the net to stop everything the Titans sent at him.
The Bearcats struggled to generate much pressure on offense, but when they did, Gadsden City shut it down. Their best scoring chance of the half, and perhaps the night, was saved by the Titans’ Byron Morraquin just before it could cross the line, and an open look for Carlos Medina after a slick move ended with a tough deflection from goalkeeper Jessai Lopez. The first half would end knotted at zero.
Half two was much of the same, with Hokanson keeping a zero on the board on one end, and Lopez doing the same on the other. Regulation would end with the score still tied at zero, then two overtime periods would do the same, forcing a penalty kick shootout.
The first three turns came and went, then three more, and the match was still deadlocked. Finally, with the shootout in sudden death, Gadsden got a shot to go in, then Lopez stonewalled a Cullman shot to end the game, 1-0. Gadsden rushed to celebrate in front of Cullman’s student section, who they’d heard plenty from before the game, causing yet another scuffle.
The Bearcats season, culminating with a trip to the Elite Eight, ended at 13-4-3.
