PHILIPSBURG - Sixth-seeded Bishop Carroll and third-seeded Tyrone battled through a scoreless first half in the District 6 Class AA soccer quarterfinals Wednesday night at Philipsburg-Osceola's Memorial Field.
BC freshman goalkeeper Mitchell Hogue made sure of that by making nine saves, including on what looked to be a sure goal by the Golden Eagles.
But the Eagles finally broke through at the 22:44 mark of the second half, with junior Bailey Christine booting one past Hogue on a crossing pass in front of the goal. Alex Bartlett added a goal at the 5:59 mark to give the Eagles a 2-0 win.
It was a historic night for Tyrone (11-5-3), which earned the first playoff win since the program began in 2008.
"It feels good to finally get that first postseason win out of the way," Christine said.
"It feels amazing," first-year Tyrone coach Nick Miller said. "I really don't have the words to describe it. This is a long-time coming for Tyrone. It was a miracle we even had a soccer program. A lot of blood, sweat and tears have gone into it. The boys really played a heck of a game."
BC (8-9-2) only had one shot on Tyrone sophomore goalie Jeremy Wilson in the first half, but the Huskies made three more shots on Wilson, who recorded his eighth shutout.
The teams spent most of the first half on Bishop Carroll's side of the field, with Hogue playing heads-up in goal.
"Their goalie certainly kept them in the game," Miller said. "And they didn't let down, but we kept the pressure on them the entire game. In the first half, nothing wanted to go in. Once we scored that first goal, that's all you need. It definitely put the nail in the coffin."
"He's a good kid, and he plays well," BC coach Nick Damin said. "He keeps us in games, and he kept us in this one for awhile."
The first goal, though, came when Christine fielded a corner kick by Bartlett and sent the ball past Hogue.
"We just kept trying and trying," Christine said. "[Alex Bartlett] just sent it in, and I was just lucky enough to get a touch on it and get it to go right over the keeper's head. I was surprised he didn't get a hand on that, but it feels good."
"We still felt we had a good chance after that," Damin said. "I always preach to our guys that it's 80 minutes."
The score remained 1-0 until Alex Bartlett scored on an assist from Kyle Bartlett.
"It was a beautiful run down the right wing," Miller said.
The Eagles will now get ready to play at second-seeded P-O, a 3-0 winner over Cambria Heights, on Tuesday.
"All games are going to be tough," Christine said, "but if we keep fighting like we have been all season, I think we'll be set."
SCORE BY HALVES
Bishop Carroll0 0 - 0
Tyrone0 2 - 2
Second half: T-Christine (A. Bartlett), 22:44; A. Bartlett (K. Bartlett), 5:59.
Records: Bishop Carroll (8-9-2); Tyrone (11-5-3).
