Cardinal Gibbons tops Hough for 6th NCHSAA boys soccer title

In Saturday’s 4A boys’ soccer state championship match, there was a game-changing moment that was forgotten to almost all in attendance by the time Cardinal Gibbons was celebrating its 2-1 defeat of Hough to end the year undefeated.

But it’ll be seared into Gibbons coach Tim Healy’s mind for some time.

As Hough was moving in on goal, Gibbons forward Nick Brassington ran almost the length of the field before stepping in front of what was sure to be an assist and clearing away the danger.

“To me, that kind of epitomizes our team,” Healy said.

Cardinal Gibbons had an unflappable attitude when it was challenged in its biggest games, and the Crusaders (23-0-2) didn’t change on the state’s biggest stage.

It was Gibbons’ sixth N.C. High School Athletic Association boys’ soccer championship and the first since joining the 4A ranks three years ago.

“We’ve never finished the season undefeated. We tried not to talk about it too much,” said Healy, who was doused with all of the ice-cold water left over in the team’s cooler shortly after wrapping up post-game interviews.

Like Gibbons, Hough (24-2) was nationally-ranked by TopDrawerSoccer.com, with Hough at No. 43 and Gibbons at No. 13.

The Huskies entered the match on a 23-game winning streak and were the taller of the two teams. When Gibbons sent balls into the box in the first half, Hough was winning the headers.

The Crusaders didn’t go undefeated without being able to adjust, however.

Gibbons kept the ball on the ground and connected on quick passes to ramp up the pressure on Hough.

“The strength of our team is our leadership,” Healy said. “It’s a bunch of kids who care and love each other, and because of that, they’re willing to work hard and do the work to be selfless, to do the work and come back.”

Gibbons senior Jack Zarnik found himself unmarked in the box and slotted in the game’s first goal on an assist from senior Jackson Hollenbach in the 24th minute. Two defenders had stepped to Hollenback, leaving Zarnik open.

Four minutes later, Hough’s Kyle Jeffrey headed in the equalizer after the ball bounced around the box.

The No. 1 seeds from the East and West went into halftime tied 1-1. As they’ve done time and again in their biggest contests, the Crusaders responded.

Cardinal Gibbons went up 2-1 in the 45th minute as Hollenbach headed in a corner from Sal Bottone on a ball that went over the tall Hough defenders and met Hollenbach’s head at the back post.

Though Hough threatened several times in the final 10 minutes, Gibbons turned the Huskies away to come up with another state title. Hollenbach was named MVP for his efforts.

“This is the tightest team I’ve ever been on. We work for each other every single day and it’s just awesome to be a part of it,” Hollenbach said. “It just shows how consistent we are. We never let the game get to us and kept working hard.”

This story was originally published November 18, 2017 at 12:39 PM with the headline "Cardinal Gibbons tops Hough for 6th NCHSAA boys soccer title."