The North Kingstown boys soccer team beat Bishop Hendricken in penalty kicks last week in the Division I Semifinals to end the Hawks’ 2022 run.

The Skippers would jump out to a quick 2-0 lead in the first half, but the Hawks would get a goal from Landon Picillo to cut the lead to 2-1 heading into the second. Hendricken tied things up with 3:03 left in regulation when Mike Paquette broke free and shot the ball to the top right of the net to force overtime.

“That was an opportunity, it was a difficult opportunity. I was happy for Mike, he is a great kid. At that point I thought we were going to win it,” said Hendricken coach Mickey Rooney.

The Skippers controlled the two overtime periods but were unable to capitalize, sending the game to penalty kicks. NK then outshot Hendricken 4-3 in the shootout to earn its place in the championship.

Xavier Wilkins and Jacob Coates each recorded assists in the loss for Hendricken.

Despite the defeat, Rooney was happy with his team’s performance and felt that the Hawks often outplayed the Skippers.

“The kids were great. We knew that this was going to be a tough game. We didn’t start off well and they took it to us when we were down 2-0. Soccer-wise, I think we were the better team, but they had the long throw and the guy that could jump, things like that. We had to dig deep, got one back and the momentum started to change. We held our own and may have been a little bit better in my opinion. It’s a cruel way to end the game,” said Rooney.

After a disappointing 2021, the Hawks rebounded in 2022 and reasserted themselves as one of the state’s best teams. Hendricken will have a large core of seniors to replace next season.

“I’m proud of the kids, they showed character. They’ve been doing that all year. Last year, we had a difficult time. This year, a bounce here and a bounce there, those five ties could have been wins,” said Rooney. “It was a great effort by them. We had a big senior group that we’re going to miss next year.”