The Cassadaga Valley/Falconer and Fredonia boys soccer teams were about to go to a penalty-kick shootout to decide their nonleague match at Cassadaga Valley Middle-High School.

It was a spotlight moment made for Bailey — the Golden Cougars’ goalkeeper who has burst onto the scene this year — and Hillbillies junior goalkeeper Andrew Cowan.

But Bailey wasn’t taking part.

In fact, the Falconer the junior was lucky to be there at all.

Cassadaga Valley/Falconer junior goalkeeper Nathan Bailey, left, talks to sophomore goalkeeper Donovan Delaney as he comes off the field at halftime of Friday’s nonleague boys soccer game against Fredonia in Sinclairville. P-J photo by Matt Spielman

Less than 48 hours earlier, Bailey was in an ambulance on his way to John R. Oishei Children’s Hospital of Buffalo after a scary incident in Cassadaga Valley/Falconer’s Chautauqua-Cattaraugus Athletic Association East Division finale at Ellicottville.

With about 18 minutes left in the second half that night, Bailey made a challenge on a loose ball and in the process of saving a goal, collided with one of the Eagles’ players. Bailey went to the ground motionless and play was stopped for the injury.

“It was a soccer play … a 50-50 ball. Nathan was brave and came out just like he was meant to. Ellicottville’s player was doing what he was meant to do to going for a goal. It was just an unfortunate collision,” Cassadaga Valley/Falconer head coach Nick Quattrone said following Friday’s game. “Once I kneeled down next to him and saw his eyes roll back, I knew it was very serious. I got very emotional seeing him in that state. I immediately just started praying in my mind.”

Nathan’s mother, Jeanine, was at the game in Ellicottville, and was called onto the field to be by his side.

“It was scary. When it happened, I knew immediately that he was hurt. … I just watched because I’ve been told that you wait until they call you out,” Jeanine said Friday. ” … I walked down to other parents who had a better vantage point. One of the moms said ‘They are on phones, you need to go out there.’ When I first got out there, he was still not responding. Then he started coming around and started answering questions at least.”

Nathan’s father, Matt, had a jiu-jitsu class in Jamestown that night and wasn’t at the game. He knew something was wrong when his dad walked into the class.

Jeanine and Nathan were taken by ambulance to Buffalo where Nathan was diagnosed with a moderate-to-severe concussion, his third is just over a year.

“The game is all a blur. I don’t remember anything at the hospital. … Everything is a blur,” Nathan said Friday. “I’m feeling a lot better. I get headaches sometimes.”

The Baileys made sure Nathan made it to practice Thursday afternoon so his teammates could see that he was doing fairly OK, other than the headaches that can be expected with a concussion of that magnitude. The family followed up with their pediatrician, who referred them to Dent Neurologic Institute or UBMD in Buffalo for more care.

And on Friday, Nathan was on the sideline to support those same teammates as they took on the Hillbillies as a Section VI playoff tuneup.

“They were all super supportive. … We weren’t going to come tonight with Nathan not playing, but we came because his teammates have been so supportive,” Jeanine said. “We came to support them because they’ve been awesome.”

Prior to the game, at halftime and before the shootout, Nathan could be seen working with sophomore Donovan Delaney, who has taken over as the team’s goalkeeper for the forseeable future.

“I can trust Donovan,” Nathan said.

Cassadaga Valley/Falconer’s Class B1 playoff opponent will be finalized today, but it appears that the fifth-seeded Golden Cougars will take on No. 4 Alden in the quarterfinals.

“He’s been the talk of the league in terms of how great he’s been, his rise to stardom from being a bench player last year,” Quattrone said of Nathan, who has been part of six clean sheets and has a majority of the Golden Cougars’ 105 saves this year. “Having Carson Olson graduate was a tough blow, but Nathan embraced that challenge and wanted to have this responsibility on his shoulders. He just took it and ran. He’s just been the best goalie in the league in my opinion.”

It is unlikely that Nathan will make a return to the soccer pitch this fall, but he will be in his teammates’ and coaches’ thoughts throughout what they hope to be a long postseason run.

In a perfect world, Nathan will be back participating in athletics during this winter’s Golden Falcons’ basketball season.

That doesn’t mean he’ll be forgotten on the soccer pitch.

“Everyone is rallying around Nathan, not just the soccer team, but both schools and really the community,” Quattrone said. “The outpouring on Facebook and all social media platforms has been offering full support for Nathan and well wishes.

“It’s a team effort,” Quattrone added, “but Nathan is really the catalyst right now for our drive moving forward.”

NOTES: Fredonia won the shootout 3-2 after Cowan stopped two of Cassadaga Valley/Falconer’s shooters. … In regulation, Cameron Katilus scored on a rebound of a Ethyn Gilbert free kick for the Golden Cougars. … Juan Botella Lledin scored for the Hillbillies.