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JOHNSTOWN -- The District 6 Class 2A boys soccer championship matchup between top-seeded Westmont Hilltop and second-seeded Central Cambria was that proverbial game that neither team deserved to lose, but that circumstances required one team to suffer that unfortunate fate.
After the two teams played to a 1-1 tie through two 40-minute halves and two 15-minute overtime sessions, penalty kicks decided the contest in Westmont's favor.
All four Westmont players -- Kaden Weidlein, Max Marian, Eli Brownlee and Calvin Gilbert -- who took penalty kicks scored on them, while only two of four Central Cambria players who attempted penalty kicks scored as
Westmont survived in what was listed offically as a 2-1 final score in favor of the Hilltoppers.
Central Cambria's Rocco Barra and Isaac Oravec converted their penalty kicks, but Westmont junior keeper Luke Wesner made outstanding saves going to his left against the Red Devils' Jonathan and Andres Rivera.
The goals by Brownlee and Gilbert gave Westmont the margin of victory in the penalty kick session.
"It was a great game, and we knew that it was going to be a great game,''said Central Cambria coach Bryce Croyle, whose Red Devils finished their season with a 16-3-2 record. "We played these guys twice during the regular season and one of the games ended in a 1-1 tie, while we lost the other game, 1-0.
"Penalty shots can be a roll of the dice, and unfortunately, things didn't go our way tonight,'' Croyle added. "It's tough to see a season end on penalty kicks, but somebody has to win.''
That somebody was Westmont, thanks to Wesner's two stellar saves on the penalty kicks.
"Those were extremely difficult saves to make, and both of those (Central Cambria players who were stopped) took great shots, too. We practice against penalty kicks just to prepare for a situation like tonight, and fortunately, (Wesner) was up to the task.''
Marian accounted for Westmont's goal during regulation by converting a pass from Matt Messina midway through the first half, before Central Cambria forged a 1-1 tie on a goal by Jonah Hoffman on an Andres Rivera assist with 30:13 remaining in the second half.
Central Cambria junior keeper Jacob Fisher came up with the save of the game by making a diving stop on a shot by Roan Malcolm with under nine minutes left in the second overtime session to keep the game tied.
Westmont (19-1-3) will advance to the PIAA state tournament against the WPIAL third-place finisher next Wednesday.
Croyle said that Central Cambria had a great season, and graduates only two seniors.
"At the end of last season, we set a goal to be in this game, and we achieved almost every single goal that we set,'' Croyle said. "We should have a pretty strong squad returning next year.''
SCORE BY HALVES
Central Cambria 0 1 0 0 -- 1
Westmont Hilltop 1 0 0 0 -- 2
First half: 1, WH--Marian (Messina), 20:33.
Second half: 2, CC--Hoffman (A. Rivera), 30:13.
PK totals: WH 4-2
Penalty kicks: CC--Barra, Orvec goals.
WH--Weidlein, Marian, Brownlee, Gilbert goals.
Shots on goal: Central Cambria 27, Westmont Hilltop 23.
Saves: Fisher, CC, 17; Wesner, WH, 23.