Gaels sophomore sore winner in OT

A dislocated shoulder wasn’t about to slow Austin Cain.

The Bishop Gorman sophomore, injured at the end of regulation time Saturday, scored nine minutes into the second overtime as the defending state champion Gaels defeated Centennial 2-1 in the Class 4A Sunset Region soccer final.

Gorman (14-1-3) won its third straight thriller in the tournament and advances to a state semifinal against South Tahoe at 4 p.m. Friday at Damonte Ranch High School in Reno.

“It’s just these guys. They just wanted it,” Gorman coach Nick Arbelaez said. “We just never gave up.”

Cain was tackled and landed on his left shoulder in the second half’s final minute. He returned early in the first overtime but often held the shoulder.

“It popped out, but then it just kind of popped back in again on its own,” said Cain, who still battled through pushing and shoving in a physical match. “It still hurts, but this just feels unbelievable.”

His reward came in the second overtime when he collected Adam Knaff’s pass approximately 25 yards from the goal.

Cain stepped around a defender and moved in alone on Centennial goalkeeper Chey McDonald. Cain fired a low shot just inside the left post, then fell to the ground, holding his shoulder as his teammates celebrated.

“I turned on the defender, and when I saw the keeper (move), I just tucked it away,” Cain said.

Gorman survived to defeat Palo Verde on penalty kicks Tuesday, then rallied from a 3-1 deficit to beat Western in overtime Thursday.

On Saturday, the Gaels fell behind again when Rory Smith scored for Centennial (17-3-1) late in the first half.

Gorman, which had a 21-6 edge in shots during regulation, tied the match with nine minutes remaining on Knaff’s header off a pass from Shane Thompson.