COLUMBUS, Ohio — The Saint Ignatius Wildcats have done it again.
On Saturday evening, Saint Ignatius defeated Cincinnati Archbishop Moeller in a dramatic penalty kick shootout to win the 2023 OHSAA Division I boys soccer championship.
The Wildcats' fifth consecutive state championship came after they won the shootout 5-4 in six rounds after a 1-1 draw in the contest.
The Wildcats dominated offensively outshooting the Crusaders 13 to 9. However, Archbishop Moeller struck first in the 14th minute after Paxton Haffner connected on a pass from Bradley Poppell to put the Crusaders up 1-0.
The game remained 1-0 until the 74th minute when Bryce Ince-Lovelace sent a header passed Austin Nowak to put the Wildcats on the board and ultimately send the game into overtime.
After no golden goal was scored in the first two sudden-death 15-minute overtime periods, the Wildcats and Crusaders headed into a penalty kick shootout to determine the champion.
Colin Monroe got the save for the Wildcats during the shootout, leading them to their 13th program state championship.
Saint Ignatius finished the season 16-3-4 under the helm of Mike McLaughlin, McLaughlin has won 13 OHSAA Division I State Championships and 7 NSCAA National Championships since taking over the program in 1995.
