Benjamin Logan captured the Quest Cup Championship Saturday night, defeating New Hope Christian Academy 5-4 in a penalty shootout after the teams played to a 1-1 draw through regulation.
The Raiders controlled much of the match, putting together a dominant offensive performance while outshooting New Hope Christian Academy 25-1.
After a scoreless first half, Benjamin Logan broke through with 18:58 remaining when Xavier Allen converted a penalty kick to give the Raiders a 1-0 advantage.
New Hope Christian Academy found the equalizer with just 1:14 remaining after a Benjamin Logan mistake allowed the Statesmen to pass the ball into an empty net. It was New Hope’s only shot on goal of the match.
With the championship decided in a penalty shootout, Benjamin Logan came through in the clutch.
The Raiders went a perfect 5-for-5 on their penalty kicks. Gavin Jordan, Massi Sardinha, Xavier Allen, Luke Vesely and Ben Solano each converted their attempts.
Jordan also made a crucial save in the shootout, allowing Benjamin Logan to secure the 5-4 victory and claim the Quest Cup Championship.
The championship capped an impressive opening weekend for the Raiders, who defeated Calvary Christian 3-0 in the opening round Friday night before finishing Saturday with the shootout victory.
Benjamin Logan’s defense was once again a major factor, allowing just one shot on goal throughout the championship match.
The Raiders would like to thank Quest Credit Union for sponsoring the Quest Cup and providing T-shirts for all participants.
Benjamin Logan will return to action Tuesday at Kenton.
Calvary Christian bounced back from its opening-round loss to Benjamin Logan to finish third in the Quest Cup.
Calvary fell to Benjamin Logan 3-0 Friday night, with junior goalkeeper Brody Prall making eight saves.
The team responded Saturday in the third-place game against Jackson Center, earning a 5-2 victory.
Five different Calvary Christian players scored in the win: junior Aiden Keller, senior Brett Gildow, senior Ransom Lambert, junior Seth Palmer and junior Sam Mihoci.
Three of the five goals were assisted by Keller, Palmer and junior Kole Gantz.
The third-place finish gave Calvary Christian an opportunity to evaluate its group heading into the regular season, with the team looking to carry the lessons from the weekend into its upcoming schedule.
Calvary Christian will host Indian Lake in its first home game of the regular season Tuesday, Aug. 18.
Elsewhere, Bellefontaine opened its season Saturday with a 1-1 draw against Piqua.
Piqua struck first in the 27th minute, putting the Chieftains behind late in the first half.
Bellefontaine quickly responded, however, with Jack Wilson finding the back of the net in the second half’s 28th minute off an assist from Anderson Konz. The goal evened the match at 1-1, and neither team was able to find the game-winner in the second half.
Chieftain head coach Stephen Henry said he was pleased with the team’s response after falling behind and believes the result provides plenty of positives to build on early in the season.
“This is a positive result for us. We fell behind and didn’t shut down. We kept fighting and had some chances. I think our finishing will improve as the season progresses.”
— Bellefontaine Head Coach Stephen Henry
Henry said the Chieftains are also placing an emphasis on defense early in the season.
“We are focusing on defense right now to keep the scoring low, and I’m happy with this effort.”
Bellefontaine will look for its first win of the season Thursday, Aug. 20, when the Chieftains travel to Stebbins.
