PARAMOUNT — When asked to win its four straight close playoff game, the Canyon boys soccer team finally came up short.

Maybe on the scoreboard. Not in accomplishment.

The Cowboys battled Paramount to a 0-0 tie after 100 minutes, but fell 4-2 on penalty kicks in the CIF-Southern Section Division III boys soccer semifinals Tuesday at Paramount High School.

The result ends a deep run for Canyon (20-2-3), which won its first-round game in penalty kicks and proceeded to win its next two games by one goal apiece.

It is the farthest any Canyon boys soccer team has ever gone and marks one of the deepest playoff runs by any Foothill League boys soccer team.

Still, Canyon head coach Khris Savage had a funny feeling after the first overtime.

“I knew we were going to go to penalty kicks,” he said. “We had our opportunities. We just couldn’t finish.”

In the shootout, Paramount made its first three kicks, while Canyon made just two of its first three. Cowboys goalkeeper Andrew Wilson made a save on the Pirates’ fourth kick, but Canyon missed its ensuing shot.

Up next, Paramount’s Jose Ochoa buried the game-winner.

The Cowboys seemed to have momentum midway through the second half, before play was halted for approximately 15 minutes.

The referee ordered every fan on the Pirates’ side of the bleachers to leave due to foul language, which included swear words in Spanish, according to the referee.

He said he gave the sideline its first warning earlier in the half.

After things had settled down and about half the fans had cleared out, play resumed.

“It killed us,” Savage said of the incident. “We had momentum and it gave them a break.”

The game itself was a contrast of styles. Canyon wanted to play a more controlled, precise match, while Paramount kicked the ball into space and used its speed and skill to make plays in the open field.

That strategy netted the Pirates several opportunities in the first half, but Wilson turned away each attempt, including a save at the right post after a giveaway by the Cowboys’ defense.

“We played our game, but I thought we could have played better,” Wilson said.

Canyon’s best chance came eight minutes into the second half when midfielder Sipriano Vigil played a ball into the box that striker Mohammed Roknipour clanged off the crossbar.

The Cowboys had several good opportunities off set pieces, especially in the second half. A flurry of late corner kicks yielded loose balls in the box but no clean shots, and a corner by fullback Vincent Donato almost bent into the net before being punched over the crossbar by Paramount keeper Antonio Flores.

In the second overtime period, the Pirates thought they had won the game after a free kick narrowly sailed over the net. From their angle, the ball appeared to have ducked under the crossbar before tucking into the lower right-hand corner.

“On offense, we did well and just missed shots,” said Paramount captain Marco Pineda. “It was the same thing for them.”

Both teams traded offensive rushes in the overtime periods to no avail.

The Cowboys were once again without midfielder David Castaneda, who injured his foot in the first playoff game.

Despite the result, Canyon won its second straight outright Foothill League title this season and third overall.

The team loses Wilson and a lot of other seniors, and Savage said he’s proud of what they accomplished.

“They’re not going to see that for a few days, and that’s understandable,” he said.