The season came down to Saturday for the Century and Preston boys soccer teams with a berth in next week’s state tournament on the line.

    The loser went home with its season over.

    When the two teams met Tuesday it took 78 minutes before Dan Mende headed home the game-winning goal.

    It took 100 scoreless minutes and penalty kicks on Saturday before Century won the game on penalty kicks, 6-5, and earned a state tournament berth.

    From the opening kickoff it was apparent that neither team was going to give its opponent any opportunity for an easy goal as much of the play was concentrated in the middle of the field.

    Both sides had scoring opportunities in the first half, but none was a close as Century’s Cade Roske’s 25-yard shot that hit the crossbar and appeared to cross the goal line.

    But the referees disagreed and play continued.

    The game got a whole lot tougher for Century in the 47th minute when Josh Goodwin took a red card for stopping a Preston player’s opportunity to score with goalie Mauricio Huerta out of the net.

    “Josh had to take the red card,” Century head coach Rocky Rhoades said. “Even with 10 guys, minus that last minute or two we did not give Preston anything.”

    The red card meant the Diamondbacks would play the remainder of the game with 10 players and Preston would be awarded a penalty kick.

    Huerta stopped Preston Colby Hendrickson’s shot with a diving save to keep the game scoreless.

    After 80 minutes the two teams played to a 0-0 tie, meaning the game would head to overtime. After a pair of 10-minute periods, the game still scoreless, meaning penalty kicks would decide the winner.

    Huerta came up huge for the Diamondbacks once again.

    Preston made all five of its penalty kicks, and in an interesting twist, Rhoades sent Huerta out to take the team’s fifth shot. He made his kick, setting up a sudden death situation.

    On Preston’s sixth shot, Huerta made a diving save stopping Zac Roper’s shot. After making the save, Huerta popped up and screamed with excitement.

    “Mauricio was the best player on the field today for us,” Rhoades said. “There is no way we go to state without him. I told the kids he was going to make his penalty kick and win the game for us.”

    Rhoades chose senior Kalen Williams to take the Diamondbacks’ sixth kick. With his teammates locked arm-in-arm, Williams took to the penalty spot looking to win the game.

    With a swing of his right leg he beat Preston goalie Dalton Lloyd and sent the Diamondbacks to the state tournament.

    After the ball hit the back of the net, Williams was mobbed by his teammates and coaches. Many of the Preston players dropped to their knees in disbelief that their season was over.

    “These kids buckled down and fought for 60 straight minutes down a man,” Rhoades said. “We knew we were not going to score and we felt really confident in our penalty kicks and that’s what won the game for us.”

    Century opens 4A state tournament action Thursday at 2 p.m. against Skyview in Idaho Falls.