Raymond-South Bend had a comeback for the ages in a win over Montesano as we review Friday’s boys prep soccer games on the Harbor.
BOYS PREP SOCCER
Raymond-South Bend 3, Montesano 2
(Raymond-South Bend wins 4-2 on penalty kicks)
There was a lot of hootin’ and hollerin’ on the Raymond-South Bend sidelines at the conclusion of Friday night’s game against the first-place Montesano Bulldogs, and with good reason.
The Ravens had just pulled off one of the most stunning, jaw-dropping victories anyone in attendance had ever witnessed.
Down 2-0 in stoppage time, RSB (10-2 overall, 1A Evergreen) scored two goals to tie the game, avoided a Montesano golden goal with a penalty-kick save in overtime, and completed the improbable win with a 4-2 victory in a penalty-kick shootout, beating the Bulldogs for the first time in the combo team’s history 3-2 in Montesano.
“It means everything,” Ravens freshman goal keeper Miguel Perez said of the victory. “I’ve got to thank God for everything I have today.”
“I’m just really happy,” said RSB junior midfielder Edgar Ramirez, whose PK conversion in the shootout sealed the victory for the Ravens. “This means a lot to me, winning this game.”
And the Ravens should be elated because up until two minutes left in the game, it appeared as though a victory was in the bag for Montesano.
After a scoreless first half that saw plenty of adept midfield play with both teams earning a handful of good scoring chances, Montesano (10-4, 10-2) roared out the gate to take the lead in the second half.
Monte midfielder Jio Torres penetrated into the Ravens penalty area and sent a pass back to junior forward Felix Romero, who ripped a low shot that deflected off the hand of a diving Perez and rolled just inside the far post for a 1-0 lead in the 43rd minute.
PHOTO BY FOREST WORGUM Montesano forward Felix Romero scores a goal in the second half of a 3-2 loss to Raymond-South Bend on Friday in Montesano.
RSB nearly tied the game when freshman forward Adam Mora drove down the wing and sent a cross through the teeth of the Bulldogs goal line, but Monte keeper Enrique Mendoza dove to smother the ball and thwart any back-end connection, preserving Monte’s lead.
The Bulldogs quickly moved down the field on the counter-attack and doubled the lead when midfielder Cris Tobar sent a pass toward forward Jules Desjour, who scored in the 51st minute.
The score would remain 2-0 with less than five minutes to play and it appeared as though Montesano was heading toward its 11th win of the season.
Fate had something to say about that.
In the first minute of stoppage time – the 81st minute of the game – RSB freshman forward Jose Ramirez gained possession in the Monte third, dribbled to create space and ripped a shot into the high-corner of the net from approximately 25-yards out to cut the deficit to 2-1.
Lightning struck again about two minutes later when an Edgar Ramirez shot rang off the post, pinballed around the front of the Monte net where a shot was saved by Mendoza. The rebound spun into no man’s land just a few yards away from Mendoza. Jose Ramirez beat the Bulldogs to the loose ball, poking home his second goal to tie the game in stunning fashion.
PHOTO BY FOREST WORGUM Raymond-South Bend forward Jose Ramirez (right) celebrates after scoring a goal late in the second half of a 3-2 win over Montesano on Friday at Montesano High School.
“The last two minutes was heart-stopping. I knew when the first goal went in, there was a big chance we would get a second because we had put so much pressure on them,” RSB head coach Joe Keegan said. “The last two minutes, the backs, the midfield and the forwards, they knew they had to empty the tank. They had to give it everything for those last two minutes. You get a ricochet and a goal and then you get a second goal and then it’s history.”
But the heart-stopping moments weren’t over as Monte scored what appeared to be a golden goal off a corner kick in the second overtime, but a hand-ball penalty was called against RSB, nullifying the goal but sending Montesano to the spot for a potential game-winning penalty kick.
Tobar stepped to the mark and sent the PK hard and low to his left side, but Perez guessed correctly, diving to knock the shot clear and keep the Ravens’ hopes alive.
The game went to a penalty-kick shootout, with Monte taking a quick 1-0 lead after a save by Bulldogs keeper Cohen Andersen followed by a conversion from Jio Torres.
After makes by Ravens Chris Quintana and Michael Nunez sandwiched around a goal by Monte’s Spencer Lovell, the shootout was tied at 2-2.
Tobar’s attempt then rang of the post and was followed by a conversion by RSB’s Jayden Silva.
Perez then came up with a critical diving save on an attempt by Desjour, giving the Ravens a chance to win the game.
“I had full trust in my team and they had full trust in me,” Perez said. “There was no pressure at all.”
PHOTO BY FOREST WORGUM Raymond-South Bend goal keeper Miguel Perez makes a save in the penalty-kick shootout of a 3-2 win over Montesano on Friday at Jack Rottle Field in Montesano.
Edgar Ramirez stepped up and placed a shot low to his right, past a diving Andersen and into the net to win the shootout 4-2 and complete the incredible comeback.
“I thought I was going to make the shot,” Edgar Ramirez said of the game-winning kick. “My team believed in me and I believed in myself too. I knew I was going to score that penalty.”
Edgar Ramirez was then swarmed by his teammates as a raucous celebration began near the Ravens’ bench.
“We never gave up,” Edgar Ramirez said. “We knew we could win this game, so we kept pushing. (The win) means a lot to us. It’s probably the most important game of the season for us and I thank my team for everything.”
“I had full trust in my team and they had full trust in me,” Perez said. “There was no pressure at all.”
The loss was a bitter pill for Montesano to swallow as the Bulldogs are now in a three-way tie for first place with Raymond-South Bend and Eatonville in the 1A Evergreen League standings with two games to play.
While the Bulldogs are in prime position to lock up the No. 1 seed due to winning the goal-differential against both the Ravens and Cruisers – which is the league tiebreaker – it provided little comfort at the conclusion of Friday’s game.
“This is one of those games I’m going to remember for awhile because we had every chance to win it,” said a somewhat perplexed Montesano head coach Fidel Sanchez, still trying to grasp what had just happened. “It’s just one of those things that how we lost this game, it doesn’t make sense. But you’ve got to finish games and we didn’t finish today. We were close, but we didn’t finish today. It’s as simple as that.”
Both teams have a big week ahead as Raymond-South Bend hosts Eatonville at 7 p.m. on Monday with the winner potentially earning one of the league’s coveted top two playoff seeds.
Montesano looks to hold on to the top spot against East County Rival Elma at 7 p.m. on Monday in Montesano.
RSB 0 2 0 0 1 – 3
Montesano 0 2 0 0 0 – 2
Scoring
First half – none.
Second half – 1, Montesano, Romero (J. Torres), 43rd minute. 2, Montesano, Desjour (Tobar), 51st minute. 2, RSB, J. Ramirez, 80th minute. 3, RSB, J. Ramirez, 83rd minute.
First overtime – none.
Second overtime – none.
Penalty kicks – RSB 4 (Quintana, Nunez, Silva, E. Ramirez); Montesano 2 (J. Torres, Lovell).
Elma 2, Forks 1
Elma kept pace with the league leaders with a 2-1 road victory at Forks on Friday.
The Eagles (10-5, 9-3 1A Evergreen) got on the board in the 11th minute when senior forward Cason Seaberg drove inside the Spartans 18-yard box and sent a cross to junior Theo Flores at the far post. Flores converted the feed for a 1-0 lead.
Forks would take advantage of a poor Elma clearance to score a goal in the 26th minute to make it a 1-1 game at halftime.
Seventeen minutes into the second half, Elma midfielder Jose Perez sent a pass to Seaberg, who scored on a left-footed shot inside the far post for a 2-1 lead.
Elma held Forks at bay the rest of the way as the Spartans were limited to infrequent, long shots through the remainder of the second half.
With the victory, Elma sits in fourth place in the 1A Evergreen League standings, one game back of Montesano, Eatonville and Raymond-South Bend.
If they hope to earn one of the league’s top two district-playoff seeds, the Eagles are in control of their own destiny.
Elma plays at Montesano at 7 p.m. on Monday and hosts Eatonville at 7 p.m. on Wednesday.
Elma 1 1 – 2
Forks 0 1 – 1
Scoring
First half – 1, Elma, Flores (Seaberg), 11th minute. 2, Forks, 26th minute.
Second half – 3, Elma, Seaberg (J. Perez), 57th minute.
Other games
Hoquiam 8, Ilwaco 1
