PARAMOUNT — According to the CIF-Southern Section Division III bracket, Tuesday’s match between Canyon and Paramount was a semifinal.

To everyone in attendance, it probably felt like the championship itself.

“Oh yeah,” said Canyon head coach Khris Savage. “It felt like it was.”

A championship intensity pervaded Tuesday’s match even though the Pirates, who won 4-2 on penalty kicks after a 0-0 tie in regulation, have yet to play in the title game.

The players and coaches said they could feel it.

The overtime periods saw the run of play turn into a yo-yo, each team exchanging largely unchallenged build-ups because the midfielders were so exhausted.

But neither side yielded a goal.

Canyon goalkeeper Andrew Wilson, who made several crucial saves, felt his team was riding a pregame wave of energy from reaching the semifinals that still hadn’t died down.

“It’s just like we’ve never done this before,” he said. “That’s an accomplishment itself.”

The fans in attendance — a crowd that rivaled that of an average football game — were on the edge of their seats, ready to explode in the event of a goal.

The sea of Paramount fans rose in celebration after what they thought was the game-winning goal in the second overtime.

It turned out to be a miss.

Canyon’s fans also turned out well, having watched the Cowboys pull out three playoff thrillers, never having suffered defeat.

It turned out to be their first.

Emotions boiled over in the stands during the game, leading to the dismissal of many Paramount fans at the referee’s hands after he heard enough swear words directed at his crew.

Emotions boiled over on the field as well, to the tune of four cards between the two teams.

Afterward, Cowboy players and coaches applauded the Pirate’s efforts.

The result may sting now, but midfielder Jordan Markovich kept Canyon’s run in perspective.

“We’ve never done that before,” he said. “We met all three of our goals.”

Those goals were to play in March, win 20 games and make the CIF-SS Division III semifinals.

When the Cowboys got there, it might as well have been the finals.

“It was nothing but an honor to be the last (Foothill League) team standing,” Savage said. “We were like one league and we had great support.”