varsity.roanoke.com

Now Mike Price knows what he would have missed.

"I was thinking about retiring last year," said Price, the boys soccer coach at Pulaski County, "but they told me, 'Coach, come back. It's going to be different.' And it has."

On an evening when the temperature dropped 30 degrees in a matter of hours, the Cougars found themselves in rarefied air Wednesday following the River Ridge District semifinals.

Junior goalie Justin Cook stopped two of four Cave Spring penalty kicks, triggering a wild Cougars celebration in a game that was 1-1 at the end of regulation.

The victory sent Pulaski into the championship game at 7:30 p.m. Friday against regular-season champion Blacksburg, a 3-0 winner over Christiansburg in the first semifinal.

Blacksburg and Pulaski already have clinched berths in the Region IV playoffs, a first for the Cougars. A third River Ridge representative will be determined when Cave Spring (11-3-2) meets Christiansburg (4-9-3) at 5:30 p.m. Friday at Hidden Valley.

"This is the first time we've ever made it to the regionals; it's the first time we've advanced past the first round in the River Ridge," said Price, whose Cougars had advanced to the semifinals by beating Hidden Valley 3-0.

At the time, Price thought that victory was special.

Wednesday night's affair topped that.

"It's our biggest win ever," Price said. "We hope to add to it.

The Cougars (10-7-1) took a 1-0 lead on a goal by senior Clint Meadows minutes into the second half and seemed headed for a regulation victory before a Graham Holley blast pulled Cave Spring into a 1-1 tie with 2:36 left.

To make matters worse, Meadows rolled his left ankle and had to leave the game early in the first of four five-minute overtime periods. Then, the Knights were awarded an indirect kick that a diving Cook corralled.

Cook and Cave Spring goalie Will Dooley each saved the first stop they faced in the shootout session, then Pulaski converted its next four attempts, no small feat with co-leading scorer Meadows on crutches.

"I'm a big boy," Price said. "I don't need shots to the ticker like that."

In the first game, less than 3 ½ minutes elapsed before senior Daniel Hiller scored Blacksburg's first goal off a crossing pass from Eli Betz, one of four freshmen in the starting lineup.

The Bruins (13-2-2) start only two seniors but got goals from both of them, Hiller and Alistair Moore, who has signed with Virginia Tech.

If anybody had an excuse not to be sharp early, it was Hiller, who had taken a four-hour advanced-placement French exam earlier in the afternoon and arrived 15 minutes before a 5:30 start.

"I had to make sure I was warmed up enough," he said.

The Bruins lost 13 seniors from a powerhouse 2008 team but did regain the services of ex-head coach Shelley Blumenthal after a one-year leave of absence.

"Word is, we're having a down season," said Blumenthal, who was without three injured starters Wednesday, including Jack Cooper, who may be lost for the season with mononucleosis.

"If you'd said to us before the season that on May 20 we'd be the regular-season district champion and be playing for the tournament championship, I think you'd take that whether you're 17-0 or 13-2-2."