Newburgh’s Will Soto went up against the world’s best youth wrestlers in his weight class and showed that he belonged.

Soto, representing Puerto Rico, capped a remarkable run at the Cadet World Wrestling Championships in Baku, Azerbaijan, with a fifth-place finish at 51 kilograms after dropping a dramatic 15-13 decision to Japan’s Masamune Ushimado in the bronze-medal match.

“I wrestled my hardest,” said Soto, entering his senior year at Newburgh Free Academy. “There are always ways I could have wrestled better or improved on the way I wrestled, but overall, I think I’m proud of the way I competed, and I left it all out on the mat.

His bronze-medal bout featured 28 combined points and was widely praised by event announcers as the “Match of the Day.” Soto and Ushimado traded points throughout both periods before Ushimado scored four points while Soto answered with two, securing the narrow victory.”

Despite falling just short of the podium, Soto turned in one of the tournament’s standout performances.

“It being called the ‘match of the day’ I think is fun because I like to go out there and score points,” Soto said.

“I don’t like to have close matches. Being out there and just being high flying is always fun, and I’m glad people recognize me for that.”

Earlier in the day, Soto dropped a hard-fought semifinal match to Iran’s Benyamin Jafar Ashofteh Mayvan, sending him into the bronze-medal bout after an impressive run through the championship bracket.

Soto opened the tournament with a first-round bye before defeating Nurdan Bodonoev of Kyrgyzstan, 10-7, in the Round of 16. The match was tied 4-4 after the opening period before Soto prevailed.

Just 15 minutes after his opening victory, Soto returned to the mat for the quarterfinals and upset returning Cadet World seventh-place finisher Sabyrzhan Rakhatov of Kazakhstan, 5-3.

After trailing 2-0 early, Soto battled back with a takedown before intermission to take a 2-2 lead on criteria. He later fell behind 3-2 after being put on the shot clock but responded with another takedown in the closing seconds before adding a late step-out point to seal the victory, guaranteeing him a chance to wrestle for a medal.

“I think it’s a tribute to my coaches and my family and friends and my partners,” Soto said. “I wouldn’t be where I am without them. My coaches are always there for me. They’re the guys who help come up with the game plans and help teach me things. They’re the ones who get me prepared for the tournament.”

Soto is eligible to represent Puerto Rico because his father, Gil Soto, and all his family were born on the island.

“I think representing your country is always a great thing,” Soto said. “I’m happy to go out there and be able to represent part of my heritage, where my dad and his parents are from. It’s unique and not many people are able to say they could do that. I think going out there and carrying the weight of your country on your shoulders is fun.”