Ryle shut out Newport Central Catholic 3-0 on Saturday, Oct. 24, to claim the 9th Region boys soccer championship at Tower Park in Fort Thomas.

Three different Raiders found the net. The win sends Ryle (22-3-1) to the Kentucky High School Athletic Association (KHSAA) state tournament, where the team will host Bishop Brossart on Tuesday, Oct. 27, according to LINK nky.

The title carries extra weight for a senior class of 19 players who missed the region tournament entirely last season.

"We told the guys at the beginning of the year that if you want to be a dangerous team, make it hard to defend us," Ryle head coach Stephen Collins told LINK nky. "How is it hard to defend us? Have multiple guys that can put in goals, do assists, and so we've kind of followed that all year long."

Diego Lakis opened the scoring in the 26th minute, collecting a deflection in the box and finishing into the bottom-left corner to give Ryle a 1-0 halftime lead. Preston Scott doubled the advantage in the 54th minute off an assist from Sean Williams. Parker Wilson sealed it in the 75th minute, assisted by Ishan Senthil.

Ryle outshot NewCath 18-4 and held a 7-2 edge in shots on target. Raiders goalkeeper Drew Stropko saved both shots on target.

Chase McCarthy earned tournament Most Valuable Player honors. Williams, Scott and Cooper Neace also made the All-Tournament team for Ryle.

NewCath goalkeeper Logan Purcell made four saves and earned an All-Tournament selection alongside two teammates. The loss ends the Thoroughbreds' season at 17-6-1 and marks their second 9th Region runner-up finish in four years. NewCath also fell to Ryle in the 2023 championship game.

Collins told LINK nky his team's speed wore down the Thoroughbreds over 80 minutes, crediting a tough regular-season schedule for preparing the Raiders for a physical match.

The Raiders reached the final after a dominant 7-1 semifinal win over Beechwood on Thursday, Oct. 22, at Tower Park. McCarthy and Neace each scored twice in that game, according to LINK nky's semifinal coverage.

Ryle hosts Bishop Brossart, identified as the 10th Region winner, on Tuesday. The winner of that matchup hosts a state quarterfinal on Oct. 31 against the winner of the 15th and 16th Region pairing.