Staff photo / Preston Byers Howland’s Deacon Mock (1) goes up for a header against Cuyahoga Valley Christian Academy during a Division III regional semifinal on Wednesday at North Royalton.

NORTH ROYALTON — Howland and Cuyahoga Valley Christian Academy (CVCA) went back and forth for nearly 80 minutes, with neither team able to take a lead in their Division III regional semifinal Wednesday in North Royalton.

But 32 seconds before the teams were set to head to overtime, CVCA’s Nick Myers, after a Royals free kick, sent a low shot toward the right post. The ball lightly tapped before settling in the back of the Howland net. The goal instantly stunned and devastated the Tigers, whose season officially ended moments later with the final whistle and a 1-0 loss.

“It was definitely a hard-fought battle on both sides. … Outstanding play by my seniors. It’s unfortunate for them to go out this way. This was a game designed for them. Hard to see it end this way,” Howland coach Joe Brefczynski said.

For the first 10 minutes of Wednesday’s match, CVCA controlled the action, forcing Howland to chase the quick and aggressive Royals around the field. The teams effectively traded places for the subsequent 10 minutes, as Howland pushed the pace and used possession to put CVCA on its heels.

Despite a few close calls, neither team’s attacks or momentary possession advantages resulted in goals, and the first half came and went without a score.

Most of the second half went much the same way, although the Royals appeared to be creeping closer and closer to breaking the scoreless tie.

Eight minutes after halftime, Emerson Hutt failed to convert on a promising opportunity in front of the Howland net, and soon after, Nick Linaburg’s point-blank shot was saved by Tigers goalkeeper Carter Jones. Less than a minute later, Jones saved another Linaburg shot, this time from 11 yards out on a free kick.

After more than 79 minutes, another Linaburg shot bounced off of the left post and eventually resulted in a free kick. That a free kick was even given was a major point of contention for Brefczynski, who watched as his team essentially played a man down on defense while Mitch Gentis agonized on the ground with an injury.

“First of all, the ball was moved five yards ahead of where the ball occurred,” Brefczynski said of the free kick. “But I’m still trying to figure out why there was a set piece, because they’re saying it’s an offensive attack, but we cleared the ball out twice … and it should have stopped play for our injured player. I’m not a sore loser — they won the game — but it’s unfortunate that’s the way it had to go.”

Shortly after Gentis was helped off the field, Myers delivered the knockout blow to Howland, which suffered just its second defeat of the season.

Before Wednesday, the Tigers (18-2-1) had not been beaten in their last 12 matches, including a Northeast 6 district championship run that culminated with a 2-1 win over University School on Saturday.

“Absolutely phenomenal season,” Brefczynski said. “I had a great group of kids. My seniors were class all the way through, top to bottom. They held on every game, they fought back every game. We’ve been down in several games, and they came out on top. It’s a class that won’t be replicated, that’s for sure.”