That scenario took place Wednesday night.

Portville took full advantage.

The Panthers scored a goal in each half and shut out Randolph 2-0 to clinch the Chautauqua-Cattaraugus Athletic Association Division II boys soccer title at Raymond Van Wie Field.

“I felt like as the game went on, the more we were keeping them out of our net, we were able to build a little momentum off of that,” Portville head coach JJ McIntosh said.

Randolph’s Cody Slade is tackled by a Portville player during Wednesday’s CCAA Division II boys soccer game in Randolph. Photo courtesy of Mike Frame

The Cardinals actually controlled play in the middle of the field — from one 18-yard box to the other — for nearly 60 minutes, but did not find the results they needed.

“Soccer is a weird sport where sometimes the bounces don’t go your way. … I feel like we played really good soccer tonight,” Randolph head coach David Pihlblad said. “They stopped a PK and we missed a couple of really good chances. Any of those go in, it’s a completely different game.”

Portville (11-1-2, 9-1-0) took a 1-0 lead in the eighth minute when it converted on its only corner kick of the night. Colin German’s lofted ball from the corner eventually found the foot of Braedon Carter, who actually dropped the ball back toward the top of the 18-yard box.

There, Garrett Reynolds drove a low ball toward the Cardinals’ goal that squirted between the legs of keeper Delsin Tallchief.

“The play was there and once it’s there, you just rally. I think it was more of a poke once it got dropped in that area,” McIntosh said. “The keeper was a little unlucky on it.”

Randolph’s best first-half opportunity to even the score came in the 33rd minute. Cooper Freeman, the team’s leading goal scorer with 29 goals on the season, was pushed from behind inside the 18-yard box.

To no one’s surprise, the Cardinals turned to Freeman for the penalty kick. The junior’s low, right-footed drive did not quite get to the corner of the goal, and Portville keeper Chase Armstrong dove and smothered the attempt to retain the Panthers’ one-goal lead.

“For my keeper, who didn’t play soccer last year … for him to just step in and be able to shut down our league’s best player is unbelievable,” McIntosh said.

Randolph (12-3-1, 8-2-0) came up empty on three corner kicks in the closing minutes of the first half and continued to trail 1-0 at the break.

“I told them at halftime, in games like that it’s almost like who scores the next goal might win,” McIntosh said. “If we score a goal, we can ride that momentum and carry it out. If they score a goal, look out because the momentum shifts completely and we have a game.”

The Cardinals were again presented with a corner kick in the 50th minute. They sent a short ball into Freeman, who dribbled in toward the goal before sending a low pass into the 6-yard box. The ball just missed the stabbing attempt of Malachi Brown and eventually was cleared to safety by the Panthers.

That missed chance left the Cardinals 0 for 6 on corner kicks for the night.

“We’ve struggled all year. We probably spent an hour in practice (Tuesday) on corner kicks. It’s just a matter of putting it in the back of the net,” Pihlblad said. ” … For whatever reason, it just wasn’t our night tonight.”

Portville put the game away 13 minutes later when Brady German took a pass from Luke Edwards and sent a left-footed drive from nearly 40 yards out into the top corner of the Randolph goal for a 2-0 lead.

The two-goal lead proved to be too much for the Cardinals to overcome as the Panthers effectively killed the remainder of the clock and celebrated the league title on Randolph’s field.

“I trust our guys. We are going to create chances. … The guys are really good at scoring. … That’s something we’ll work on the next couple of days and figure it out going into the playoffs,” Pihlblad said. “Class C this year is just loaded Nos. 1-8. Everybody is solid. Whoever comes and wins the sectional title is going to have three tough games.”