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Catholic scores twice late to beat Ravenswood, 5-4

By Jordan Holland 5 min read

PARKERSBURG -- Trailing 4-3 late, Parkersburg Catholic scored two goals in the final eight minutes to rally for a 5-4 triumph over visiting Ravenswood on Thursday, adding to what has already been a very successful 2026 campaign for the Crusaders.

"Heart and determination," PCHS head coach Seth Johnson said of the win, which gave his team a final regular-season record of 11-5-1.

"They’re young. We have no seniors. They are willing to learn, willing to put in the work, and that’s going to be a big thing for this season and next season, hopefully, as well."

Junior Kaleb Cochran recorded a hat trick for Catholic, with his third goal tying the score at 4-all with 7:24 left on the clock. Normally the team's center striker, Cochran had switched positions earlier in the match. With about nine minutes left in the match, Johnson called out to Cochran to switch back to center striker. Not long after, Cochran found the equalizer.

"We decided earlier we were going to put him out wide to try and pull some of their players out of position, try and get some crosses in, maybe from other players," Johnson explained. "They just kind of fell asleep when we made the switch (back to center striker), and he did what he does best -- put the ball in the back of the net."

Cochran's three goals -- two of which came in the first half -- gave him a team-leading 26 on the year.

"When I went back to center striker, they weren't expecting me," Cochran said. "Got a through ball right through their defense. We worked as a team. We kept our cool, and we played good soccer."

A little more than two minutes later, Jacob Price's cross found teammate Alex Pulit in front of the net. Pulit's touch deflected off a Ravenswood player and into the goal to put the Crusaders up. Earlier, Price scored his 24th goal of the season on a penalty kick just before halftime to put Catholic up 3-2 at the break.

"It takes skill to know where to be at the right time, and that’s what it was," Johnson said of Pulit's game-winner. "He just knew where to be, and didn’t really have to put any effort into it. Just open up his hips, take a touch, and that’s it."

Ravenswood, which fell to 10-9 on the year, registered 17 shots on goal in the match compared to 10 for PCHS. Catholic keeper Evan Huffman finished with 13 saves while Kolten Hupp tallied five for the Red Devils.

Cochran's first goal of the night, which was assisted by his brother Klay Cochran, came in the eighth minute to open the scoring.

Ravenswood, though, scored twice in the span of less than a minute when Cade McCoy produced a pair of goals to put RHS up 2-1 with 10:56 left in the first half. McCoy's 36 goals this season lead the Red Devils. Nic Akers assisted on the second shot.

Kaleb Cochran tied it back up in the 34th minute off an assist from Landon Bixman.

Trailing 3-2 10 minutes into the second half, Ravenswood evened the score again when Rogen Smith's shot found the back of the net. Huffman got a hand on it but couldn't quite bat it away. However, the Catholic goalie made a diving save just a minute later to deny McCoy a hat trick, but at the 28:23 mark, the Red Devils took a 4-3 advantage on Akers' 12th goal of the season.

Ravenswood, coached by Todd Murray, will look to snap a three-game skid at 11 a.m. Saturday when it plays host to Sissonville.

For Johnson, in his fourth year at the helm for the Crusaders, this was his first victory over the Red Devils.

"That was a little extra special icing on the cake to finish off the season," he said. "Ravenswood, they’ve always been a tough opponent."

Catholic, which awaits the release of the regional tournament bracket, hasn't lost since a 4-3 setback to Belpre on Sept. 8. The Crusaders responded to that loss by going 9-0-1 over their last 10 matches and will look to carry that momentum into postseason play.

"We got a great group," Cochran said. "We got some kids moving up that have been really good for us and really good for our training and helped us a lot. We’ve worked hard as a team this year. We've put the work in."

Contact Jordan Holland at jholland@newsandsentinel.com.

Parkersburg Catholic 5, Ravenswood 4

R (10-9) 2 2 -- 4

P (11-5-1) 3 2 -- 5

P: Kaleb Cochran, Klay Cochran assist, 8th minute

R: Cade McCoy, 29th minute

R: McCoy, Nic Akers assist, 30th minute

P: Kaleb Cochran, Landon Bixman assist, 34th minute

P: Jacob Price, penalty kick, 37th minute

R: Rogen Smith, 50th minute

R: Akers, 52nd minute

P: Kaleb Cochran, 73rd minute

P: Alex Pulit, Price assist, 75th minute

Team stats

Shots on goal: R: 17; P: 10; Keeper saves: R: Kolten Hupp 5; P: Evan Huffman 13; Corner kicks: R: 4; P: 2

Next matches: Sissonville at Ravenswood, 11 a.m. Saturday; Parkersburg Catholic awaits tournament matchup

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