However, while frustration gathered, the fight remained. And continued fight has a way of paying dividends.

Goalkeeper Henry Bacon and the Eagle backline held the Highlanders scoreless for over 70 minutes, keeping Bald Eagle well within striking distance as it worked to get on the board. Sophomore Logan Parsons finally broke through Cambria Heights’ line of defense and 30 minutes later, fellow sophomore Kyle Uberti posted the game winner in overtime, propelling the Eagles to a 2-1 win and trip to the District 6 Class AA semifinals.

Those goals were just the second on the season for both sophomores, as the unlikely heroes left their impact on the scoreboard when it mattered most. For head coach Jason Bair’s squad, the win marked its second district quarterfinal win in three seasons, the first in Class AA since 2017.

“I’m very thankful for these coaches, and I’m glad we could do it here tonight,” said Uberti. “Not just the seniors, not just for us, but for the whole team. The whole team has wanted this for a while, and I’m glad we could do it here tonight.”

TIM WEIGHT/For the Express Bald Eagle Area's Kyle Uberti (3) kicks the ball downfield during a District 6 Class AA quarterfinal boys soccer matchup against Cambria Heights on Wednesday, Oct. 22, 2025, at Alumni Stadium. The Eagles won, 2-1, in overtime.

“The odds were against them, over 60 minutes without a goal, and then we put the ball in the back of the net,” said Bair on the win. “I’m proud of these guys. They give me more gray hairs every year, but what we saw again tonight was they just don’t quit.”

With wind being a factor at Alumni Stadium on Thursday, the Eagles had the benefit of playing with the wind at their backs through the second half after playing against it in the first. But that didn’t mean it didn’t face an uphill battle in securing that first goal.

Attack after attack was thwarted, as Cambria Heights’s defense proved formidable. Connor Maney and Parker Dubbs each saw shots on goal that were seemingly out of reach just tipped out by goalkeeper Owen Garrison, with ten scoring opportunities within the first 15 minutes falling short and Garrison quickly racking up five second-half saves.

That’s bound to cause frustration, which was visible on the Eagles’ faces at times. But they shook it off, stuck with it, and eventually, the attacks started delivering.

Past the 16-minute mark, a near own goal from Cambria Heights set Bald Eagle up for a corner kick. Though the Highlanders had done a good job defending corners up to that point, the Eagles would find the opening they needed.

TIM WEIGHT/For the Express Bald Eagle Area's Parker Dubbs (6) kicks the ball downfield during a District 6 Class AA quarterfinal boys soccer matchup against Cambria Heights on Wednesday, Oct. 22, 2025, at Alumni Stadium. The Eagles won, 2-1, in overtime.

Maney put the ball in a position where Parsons could capitalize. And with a volley over Garrison’s head in the net’s center, Parsons would do just that, finding the back of the net to get the Eagles on the board.

“We’ve been working on corners as a team,” said Parsons when discussing the goal. “We set up those plays, and my coach said garbage goals and hustle are going to win us the game. And that’s what scored that goal.

“It definitely boosted our confidence,” he added on the impact that goal had.

“One person gets hype; we all get hype. We’re a team,” emphasized Uberti.

With that hype, it was just a matter of converting it into a game-winner. Both defenses hardened through the remainder of regulation to force overtime and halfway through the first overtime period, a second seemed likely, and game-deciding penalty kicks seemed plausible.

TIM WEIGHT/For the Express Bald Eagle Area's Easton Grimes (11) fights for possession of the ball during a District 6 Class AA quarterfinal boys soccer matchup against Cambria Heights on Wednesday, Oct. 22, 2025, at Alumni Stadium. The Eagles won, 2-1, in overtime.

But after multiple tense corner kicks were contained by Cambria Heights, Bald Eagle found its next and final opening a different way. As the five-minute mark neared, a pass from Jacob Richardson gave Easton Grimes an opportunity on a breakaway.

Grimes’s initial shot fell off the hands of Garrison, but multiple Eagles were there to ensure the scoring opportunity didn’t end in vain. Of those Eagles, Uberti was the one to get the rebound before ricocheting the ball off Garrison into the right side of the net for the game-sealer.

“It was just hustle down the field,” said Uberti on the goal. “Easton had the ball and shot at the keeper. I was just there to rebound it. I’m very thankful for him.”

Ultimately, the win wouldn’t have been possible without heroics on the defensive end. On top of posting a game-high 12 saves, Bacon made numerous key plays that didn’t appear on the stat sheet, consistently halting Highlander attacks with well-timed claims.

After surrendering a goal just 12 minutes in, the Eagles wouldn’t allow another for over 77 minutes of play.

TIM WEIGHT/For the Express Bald Eagle Area's Kayson Tice prepares to launch the ball downfield during a District 6 Class AA quarterfinal boys soccer matchup against Cambria Heights on Wednesday, Oct. 22, 2025, at Alumni Stadium. The Eagles won, 2-1, in overtime.

“That first goal, that was an amazing shot by (Mason Kline). A bit of a lapse there, unfortunately, but I’m glad we were able to recover,” said Bacon. “They had quite a few hard shots but a lot of them were close enough to where I could save them or tip them off to the side.”

With the win, Bald Eagle (10-6-2) is now set to face top-seeded Juniata (17-3-2) in the District 6 Class AA semifinals. The Indians have had a stellar season, and it should be a tremendous challenge, but it heads into the matchup motivated and confident following the win.

“We’re going to have to work hard, really work hard together,” said Parsons on the matchup. “It’s definitely going to be a step up.”

“We know who we’ve got to play. Juniata is really tough,” said Bair. “We’ve got to prepare and work hard here in the next couple of days.”

That semifinal will take place on next Monday at a location to be determined.

TIM WEIGHT/For the Express Bald Eagle Area's Connor Maney (10) dribbles the ball downfield during a District 6 Class AA quarterfinal boys soccer matchup against Cambria Heights on Wednesday, Oct. 22, 2025, at Alumni Stadium. The Eagles won, 2-1, in overtime.

DISTRICT 6 CLASS AA BOYS SOCCER QUARTERFINALS

Bald Eagle Area 2, Cambria Heights 1 (OT)

CH – Mason Kilne (Nate Conaway), 12:46. BEA – Logan Parsons (Connor Maney), 64:08. BEA – Kyle Uberti (unassisted), 89:32.

Shots: CH 18, BEA 27. Shots on goal: CH 13, BEA 10. Corners: CH 1, BEA, 10. Saves: CH 8 (Owen Garrison), BEA 12 (Henry Bacon).

Records: Cambria Heights 10-7-2; Bald Eagle Area 10-6-2.

TIM WEIGHT/For the Express Bald Eagle Area's Henry Bacon kicks the ball downfield during a District 6 Class AA quarterfinal boys soccer matchup against Cambria Heights on Wednesday, Oct. 22, 2025, at Alumni Stadium. The Eagles won, 2-1, in overtime.

TIM WEIGHT/For the Express Bald Eagle Area's Kayson Tice (5) dribbles the ball downfield during a District 6 Class AA quarterfinal boys soccer matchup against Cambria Heights on Wednesday, Oct. 22, 2025, at Alumni Stadium. The Eagles won, 2-1, in overtime.