Cardinal Newman, Hammond championship match halted by weather

The threat of possible severe weather in the Midlands caused the Hammond and Cardinal Newman SCISA 3A boys championship soccer match to be suspended Saturday night.

The match was called in the 60th minute with lightning near Heathwood Hall, the site of the championship, With the weather system expected to linger in the area, both teams agreed to suspend the match, rather than wait out a delay.

SCISA rules prohibit an event from starting past 11 p.m.

The match will be finished Wednesday at Heathwood, beginning at 6:30 p.m with Cardinal Newman getting a free kick from the 20.

The match was originally scheduled to be played at Porter-Gaud in Charleston where the other SCISA soccer championships were held. But with both teams from the Midlands, the schools met with SCISA to get the match switched to Heathwood Hall. A large crowd was on hand with cars backed up waiting to get in to see the anticipated match.

It is the third straight year the teams have met in the championship. Cardinal Newman won in 2017 and Hammond last year. The teams split their two matches this year with Cardinal Newman winning 3-1 on March 15 and Hammond winning 2-1 on April 3.