FAIRFIELD — Every. Second. Counts. On Saturday afternoon, the Little Miami Panthers (6-9-3) varsity boys' soccer team and head coach Andy Schur learned that lesson firsthand.

In a matchup heavily slanted in favor of the No. 1 seed Mason Comets, Little Miami refused to back down. For most of the game, Mason controlled possession and kept the ball deep in Panther territory. But with just 2:43 remaining, the unthinkable happened.

As the Comets advanced toward midfield, the Panthers intercepted a pass, reversed the field, and pushed the ball down the right side. Little Miami worked it into the middle, but a Mason defender cleared it to the left. The Panthers quickly regained control, sent the ball back toward goal, and senior Cade Wojnicz streaked through traffic to head it into the right side of the net — tying the game 1-1 with time slipping away.

After a brief five-minute intermission, the teams reconvened for overtime. Less than two minutes in, the Panthers lofted the ball high toward their sideline. As it bounced around, Caleb Lantz corralled it and drilled a shot to the right, sneaking it past the Comets' keeper and sealing Little Miami's first-ever OHSAA Division I District Championship.

On the day, Vlad Romanov tallied two assists and Noah Ross added one. Senior goalkeeper Tanyon O'Maley was a wall in net, recording 12 saves in a championship-worthy performance. With the win, the Panthers advance to the OHSAA Division I Regional Semifinal, where they'll face No. 5 Beavercreek (15-1-2) at 7 p.m. Wednesday at Loveland High School. The Beavers routed Springfield 4-0 and narrowly edged Sycamore 2-1 in their District Final. This marks just the second meeting between the programs; Little Miami last hosted Beavercreek on August 21, 2021, falling 2-1 in that regular-season matchup. Tickets are available at OHSAA.org/tickets

Tickets are available at OHSAA.org/tickets.