Broken up over the season-ending loss, Central senior Joe Wehrli squatted over the Neuqua Valley field with his head in hands and tears in his eyes.
Neuqua coach Jim Johns, whose team had defeated the Redhawks 3-0 only seconds earlier, crossed midfield and tried to console Wehrli.
"You're a great team," Johns said, patting him on the back. "You're the team we feared the most."
Like no other team this season, the two-seeded Redhawks had pushed the top-seeded Wildcats to the limit twice before.
The Redhawks played them to a 2-2 result in the Best of the West Tournament championship before losing in penalty kicks and then tied them at 2 again one week later.
This time, during Thursday's Neuqua Valley Sectional championship, the Redhawks could not touch the nationally-ranked Wildcats.
Neuqua Valley (21-1-4) scored twice in the first 14 minutes and added a third goal before half to create an insurmountable margin for Central (19-4-1).
The Wildcats will play Geneva, the Wheaton Academy Sectional champs, in the Benedictine University I Super-Sectional at 4:30 p.m. Monday.
The winner will advance to the Class AA state quarterfinals Friday at North Central College.
"Those goals early were really important to us," Johns said. "That kind of relaxed us, and then they had to attack more and made them a little nervous."
Neuqua wasted no time taking the lead. In the fourth minute, senior midfielder Bryan Gaul delivered a game-changing corner kick toward the back post.
Junior forward Ian Krol touched Gaul's delivery forward - past teammate Tanner Fink - to the feet of junior Jaymie Bullard, who continued the momentum with a successful shot on goal.
Central, which finished one win shy of tying the school record, did not yet record its first shot on goal when the Wildcats took a 2-0 lead in the 14th minute.
Sophomore Bryan Ciesiulka, who scored the third goal as well, buried Paul Box's assist near the same spot as Bullard's goal. Box returned the ball to the penalty area after the Redhawks seemed to have fended off Neuqua's corner kick.
The tide shifted in Central's favor for about 15 minutes before Ciesiulka made it 3-0 in the 32nd.
"These guys came back twice on us this year," Ciesiulka said. "We knew it was gonna be a tough game the whole way through."
Both Central senior co-captain Byard Ebling and senior forward Matt Sterner forced Neuqua sophomore Jack Turanchik to make his two saves on the night.
The Redhawks also created several opportunities off of long free kicks by junior defender Tim Zimmer, but couldn't capitalize. One of Zimmer's attempts, from 23 yards out, deflected off of Neuqua's four-man defensive wall.
"We didn't play a good game," Central coach Jay Konrad said. "It's my job as a coach to prepare this team to play in a big game, and we obviously weren't, so that's a game I guess as a head coach I have to take the blame on."
Neuqua regained control late in the first half. Krol placed a shot on net, and two minutes later, senior Bret Hruby assisted Ciesiulka for the game's final goal.
Ciesiulka's first attempt at the goal was blocked by a Central defender, but he maintained his balance and struck the 50-50 ball passed Redhawks goalkeeper Tyler Kelley (six saves).
The win gives Neuqua its second sectional title in program history, the first since 2003 when the Wildcats also won the Class AA state title.
Contact Brad Engel at bengel@scn1.com or 630-416-5289.
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