Poland soccer teams falls in double-OT

October 30, 2014 at 12:00a.m.

Shields’ late goal forced overtime, but the Dukes responded with their own last-minute magic

Wadsworth

Joseph Shields’ goal in the final minute of regulation had the Poland High School boys soccer feeling magic in the air.

But 30 minutes and 28 seconds of soccer later, the magic evaporated when Marlington converted on a 2-on-1 breakaway just 28 seconds before a potential penalty kick shootout, lifting the Dukes to a 2-1 double-overtime victory in a Division II regional semifinal at Art Wright Stadium.

“That was probably the best feeling all year,” Shields said of the tying goal. “It’s kind of ironic that 30 minutes later [we felt] the worst feeling of the year.

“But that’s the game.”

Trailing 1-0 with time ticking down, the Bulldogs (13-4-4) were awarded a direct kick at midfield. Anthony Sabula’s booming shot made it all the way to the Marlington goal where goalkeeper Levi Coon, who was being screened by Poland’s Bryan Partika, touched the ball but couldn’t control it.

“The goalie kinda of punched it and kinda missed because of what Partika did, so it bounced off him,” Shields said. “So I just had an easy tap-in.”

Fifty-six seconds remained in regulation when the ball hit the net.

“It was a pretty easy goal,” Shields said. “It was a good ball from Sabula.”

Sabula said: “Maybe there was a little bit of luck on our side.

“Maybe you need a little luck in the regionals — it’s not just talent,” Sabula said. “We really didn’t give up the whole second half. Players came through.”

The Bulldogs’ elation carried over into the first 15-minute overtime that was scoreless.

“Because of that goal, we felt like we had some momentum,” Poland head coach Brian Garcar said. “And we wanted to capitalize on that early, if we could.

“Unfortunately, we weren’t able to finish the couple of opportunities that we did get,” Garcar said of the first extra session. “Our guys worked hard, Marlington, is a very, very good team.

“They are a deep team, they are talented and they were able to find a way.”

After sagging in the first overtime, the Dukes roared back to life in the second overtime, controlling much of the play.

The game tilted in their favor when Austin Wade broke free down the sideline, then centered the ball to Zack Zigler at center. Poland goalkeeper Bryan Montgomery tried to make a diving stop but Zigler’s speedy shot was by him.

After a scoreless first half, the Dukes scored seven minutes later when Wade took a strong cross-pass from Tyler Lallie and beat Montgomery.

Garcar said his squad did extremely well this season considering that 12 players graduated from last year’s team.

“We were basically looking for seven new starters,” Garcar said. “We really weren’t sure [how things would go] at the beginning of the year. We had a lot of talent, but inexperience.

“Experience does go a long way, especially at the varsity level,” Garcar said. “We took our bumps and bruises throughout the season. We did feel like we grew as a team.

“We ended up peaking at the right time and played our best soccer heading into the tournament.”