As play resumed at the 45:00 mark, both sides made critical adjustments. Meanwhile, Coe countered with William Shaw in goal alongside Talon Sargent, Jake Keebler, Isaiah Jackel, Jaheim Jno-Baptiste, Valentin Lobos, Jonah Lasselle, Brandon Kostelny, Jack Resado, Hunter Brown, and Nicolas Chargualaf.
Second-Half Action and Disciplinary Actions
The intensity immediately ramped up after the intermission. At the 46:18 mark, Central’s Isaiah Guyton fired a shot toward the bottom center of the goal, which was successfully saved by Coe goalkeeper William Shaw. Shortly after, physical play resulted in a foul called on Hunter Brown at 46:43, followed by a yellow card issued to Coe’s Talon Sargent at 47:47.
Tactical changes continued to shape the pitch. Lucas De la Cuba entered for Grant Fletcher for Central at 51:23, quickly testing the defense with a shot. Coe responded by swapping out four players simultaneously at 53:25, bringing in James Napieralski, Jase Havlik, Tobin Avritt, and Nolan Loftin. Loftin immediately made his presence felt with a shot at 53:58.
Discipline remained a focal point as referee whistles blew through various challenges. Teddy Apostolopoulos drew a foul at 59:56, and Nick DeVoss sent a shot wide left at 60:39. Further cautions and fouls accumulated as both coaching staffs utilized their bench depth.
The Decisive Breakthrough
Cooper Collins found the back of the net, capitalizing on an assist from Owen Stahl to put Central ahead 2–1 in the match statistics.
Following the goal, Coe made immediate tactical swaps, sending back-to-back substitutes onto the pitch. Central kept the pressure high when Jackson Horst forced another save from William Shaw at 63:53. As the clock wound down, both squads traded substitutions and fouls, including an off-target shot by Owen Stahl at 69:13 and a foul whistled against Mason Simmons at 69:53.
Subsequent substitutions deep into the contest—such as Dylan Pagel replacing Jase Havlik for Coe and Josh Wilson stepping back onto the field for Central—underscored the physical demands of the matchup.
