Charlotte Catholic's boys dominated N.C. 2A soccer earlier this decade, winning three titles in four years from 2001 to 2004.

Catholic beat Jacksonville 1-0 Sunday to win its first N.C. 3A championship since joining that class in 2005. It was the first title for rookie head coach Oscar Del Pino, who once quit a state championship team as a player at Catholic over differences with his coach.

“The jump to 3A changed everything,” said Del Pino, who was an assistant at Catholic from 2002 to 2007. “All the teams got bigger and stronger and faster. In the 2A playoffs, we didn't get a lot of top competition before getting to the finals.”

Five Cougars made the all-region team: Nate Badke, Chris Kyryliuk, Ben Needham, Sutton Porter and Donnie Smith, who was also named all-state.

Catholic's defense allowed 12 goals in 26 matches. Goalies Patrick Eavenson, Pat George, Mickey Ryan and Matthew Pacifici combined for 18 shutouts. The defensive backs were seniors Nate Badke and Ben Needham and juniors Jordan Archer and Maclin Lindsay.

Offensively, Smith led the team with 34 goals and 14 assists. Junior Sutton Porter, who scored the only goal Sunday with 4minutes, 41seconds to play, had 20 goals and 10 assists this season. Needham had 11 goals and seven assists.

Smith, Badke and Eavenson have all committed to Charlotte, Del Pino's alma mater.

Del Pino was an assistant on Catholic state championship teams in 2003 and 2004. Both times, the Cougars beat Swansboro, the same team Catholic beat in 1992, Del Pino's senior year. He quit the '92 team but traveled to Swansboro for the state final, watching his good friend and classmate, Mike Melvin, lead Catholic to a 1-0 win.

“I was a teenager and I was dumb,” Del Pino said. “I had differences with the coach. I was miffed I didn't get a ring. I love the game and I grew to value quality coaching as I got older.”

His style is relaxed and laid-back. His team seemed to feed on his calm, which helped them overcome blowing 2-0 leads to Hickory and Gastonia Forestview in the playoffs, and helped them hold off big charges by Lake Norman in the semifinals and Jacksonville in the state final Sunday.

“I felt some measure of personal retribution (for quitting the team) going back to the finals in '03 an '04 and playing Swansboro again and winning when I was an assistant,” Del Pino said. “(Sunday night), I could not have remembered Swansboro in '92 if I tried. All I could remember was my seniors running up after the game ended, especially Nate (Badke) and Ben (Needham) and Donnie (Smith). Donnie's a four-year starter and the other two are three-year starters. They'd been through a lot.”

Del Pino said those experiences at losing tough playoffs games – and winning three close ones this year – helped set up the championship.

“These playoffs were a learning experience for the boys,” Del Pino said. “We had those two games when we were up 2-0 and let off the accelerator and had to hold on. We had to hold on against Lake Norman down a man. The boys kind of figured that one out, how to finish late. It served us well.”