Collinsville boys soccer season ends in double-overtime heartbreaker

The Collinsville boys soccer team fell short in double overtime Thursday in the Class 1A-3A Final Four. Photo Special To WEIS Radio.

By Josh Bean, For the AHSAA

HUNTSVILLE – Junior forward Jingu Kim kept Mars Hill Bible’s boys’ soccer championship dream alive Thursday afternoon.

He scored with 3:30 remaining in the second overtime lifting Mars Hill (20-1-0) to a 2-1 victory over Collinsville in the 30th State Soccer Class 1A/3A boys’ semifinals.

Kim’s goal set off a wild celebration as Mars Hill’s reserves charged on the field while several Collinsville players fell face-first in disappointment.

Mars Hill advances to Friday’s championship game against Bayside Academy (20-1-2), a 2-0 winner over St. Luke’s, in the other 1A-3A boys’ semifinal. Mars Hill has never won a boys state soccer title. Bayside has won two, 2016 and 2019.

Collinsville (15-5-1) was trying to win its first state championship since 2013 and become just the second public school team since 1993 to win a boys’ state soccer title in the AHSAA’s smallest classification.

Panthers’ leader Roberto Diaz opened the scoring with 5:03 to go in the first half, leaping high and heading in a corner kick for a 1-0 lead.

Mars Hill goalkeeper Lan Whiteside made several diving saves in the second half to prevent Collinsville from adding to its lead, and the teammate Caleb Conner scored the equalizer with 7:20 to go in regulation.

Neither team scored in the first five-minute overtime, although Collinsville goalkeeper Jonathan Ocelot made a save just before the horn.

Kim’s goal less than two minutes into the second overtime ended the game.

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