As they collected their belongings and filed out of the locker room after the game, the faces of Warwick's boys' soccer players were all adorned with the same hollow expression.
Understandable, perhaps, considering the Warriors had just left every ounce of their emotions strewn all over the turf at Hersheypark Stadium.
Rescued by Alex Caplan's goal with 2:42 remaining in the match, Central Dauphin outlasted Warwick, 3-2, in a District Three Class AAA semifinal slugfest Wednesday night.
"We threw a lot at (CD)," Warwick coach Dale Stoltzfus said afterward.
And Central Dauphin threw a lot back, especially during an explosive second half that produced all five of the game's goals.
"I'm surprised at the score," CD coach Gregg Davis admitted. "On this field it's difficult to score because it's so big."
Then again, a lot of things were big Wednesday.
There was the unexpected burst of energy the Rams (18-5) displayed immediately after halftime, resulting in two goals in the first 12:00 of the second half that gave them a 2-0 lead.
There was the resilience displayed by Warwick (14-5-1), which got a pair of goals in a span of 11:16 midway through the second half to tie it.
There was the World Cup-caliber save made by CD goalie Jonathan Lutz, who dove to catch a dangerous header from Warwick's Trevor Stoltzfus with 12:30 left to play.
And, of course, there was Caplan's dramatic game-winner, which came off a 45-yard pass deep into the box with time winding down.
"It was just like … who wants to win this game?" Davis said.
Both teams, obviously. Thereby explaining the back-and-forth tussle that was the second half.
Warwick was outcornered 4-3 after the break, but built a 6-5 shot advantage and created seven scoring chances to CD's five during that time.
All told, Warwick outshot the Rams 10-8 by game's end and created 10 scoring chances to CD's eight. Both teams had six corners.
"Two very evenly-matched teams," Dale Stoltzfus said. "Both teams played a lot to their potential and (CD) deserves credit after us coming back to make it 2-2."
CD broke the ice 4:38 into the second half when Eric McGinnis floated a 21-yard chip shot from the left side over the head of backpedaling Warwick goalie Alex Sieber.
The Rams doubled their advantage 7:09 later when Kyle Warden punched home the leftovers of a CD corner kick.
Not that Warwick was ready to pack it in.
In fact, after Jonathan Wenger settled a Trevor Stoltzfus cross and banged it inside the left post to make it 2-1 with 24:56 left to play, the Warriors got the equalizer when Tyler March took an Asher Klahold feed and chipped it under the crossbar with 13:40 remaining.
"I love the resiliency we showed … I was proud of (Warwick's players)," Dale Stoltzfus said. "We didn't quit. And those are the kinds of things that you want. The heart of a champion, so to speak."
But it's a heart that was ultimately broken with 2:42 remaining thanks to Caplan, who won the battle for a 45-yard feed into the box from CD's Colin Watford, and pushed the game-winner inside the right post while laying on the turf.
Still, with a PIAA tournament berth at stake in Saturday, when Warwick will face Mechanicsburg (16-6) in the district's Class AAA third-place game at 7 p.m. at Northeastern, the Warriors know there's no time to sulk.
"It's got to be a quick memory," Dale Stoltzfus said of Wednesday's loss. "We have to show up Saturday and play a great game. It's as simple as that."