The memorable “wild ride” that was the 2021 Lexington High School boys’ soccer season ended in abrupt fashion Friday at WC Hawkins Stadium.

The Wildcats fell 4-0 to Riverside in the Class 5A state final. It was the 1st state title since 2008 for the Warriors, while Lexington was making its 2nd appearance in school history.

“They took me and their parents and all of ou fans on a wild ride this season,” Lexington head coach Will Gettys said. “Fun every step of the way up to this point. Just great memories, great kids. We’ve got a lot to be proud of.”

The loss marked the 1st time the Wildcats (20-4) were held without a goal. Meanwhile, Riverside (13-3) scored all of its points in the 1st half, starting with a quick goal by Fabian Menendez 4 minutes into the contest.

Goals in a span of 4 minutes by Jack Wagoner and Cobrin Robu extended the lead to 3-0 midway in the 1st half. With 8 minutes left, Kwame Andre added the final goal for Riverside.

Lexington had a couple of scoring opportunities in the 2nd half, but were unable to avoid the shutout.

“Definitely not the ending we wanted,” Gettys said. “Riverside played an incredible game. Great team. We gave up a couple of early goals and kind of got shell-shocked. The best thing about this team, we talked at halftime. We were going to come out and play with pride, put everything we have out there on the field in the 2nd half and I think the guys did that. We got to hold our heads high and we’re proud of what we put out in the 2nd half despite being down 4-0.”