Friday March 29th, 2024 6:59AM

(VIDEO) Soccer: GHS boys knock off Johnson in PKs to end 3-year drought

By Jeff Hart Sports Reporter

OAKWOOD — After three straight one-goal losses to cross-town rival Johnson, the Gainesville boys soccer team turned the tables Friday night at Billy Ellis Memorial Stadium.

The Red Elephants got three saves in goal by Augustin Garcia in penalty kicks, including the game-winner against Cole Bowen, to give them a thrilling 3-2 win, going 3-2 in the PK portion.

Garcia’s PK effort was a welcome one for the junior, who worried his non-save on a blast by the Knights’ Michael Arcia with 24 minutes left that gave Johnson a 2-1 lead would be the difference.

“I felt like I should have had that one. I just hoped that wouldn’t be the deciding one,” he said. “I knew I had to step up in the PKs. I just wanted to make some plays to help the team.”

It was the 10th consecutive meeting the two teams have played to either a one-goal margin or tie. Gainesville coach Elie Viviant said the two programs had decided beforehand that they would play for the win despite it being a non-region game.

“Two really good teams so it’s good to have a winner,” Viviant said. “It was a crazy game. We missed some chances, they missed some chances, both keepers made some great saves. Just a great match. But it was nice to finally get a win after losing three times in a row.”

Gainesville (3-1) got PK goals from Cristian Rodriquez, Darvin Vasquez and Edwin Garcia in succession to give Garcia the chance to win it in the fifth penalty kick.

Johnson coach Brian Shirley did not seem disappointed despite the tough loss. The Knights (6-0) would never have made it to the PKs if not for keeper Cooper Bowen, who had three diving stops to save goals and two more point-blank saves inside 8-yards. The two regular-time goals he did allow came on a rebound from 3-yards out and a deflection off a defender that wrong-footed him.

“It’s the best matchup in the state every year,” Shirley said. “Two great teams, a great atmosphere, what more could you want. Cooper kept us in the game. Just a tremendous effort by him. I thought the whole team played well. That’s just the way the ball bounces sometimes.”

Johnson came out looking for the early strike pushing the ball forward on the opening kickoff and manufactured a quick corner in the opening minute. The Knights missed a header off a free kick two minutes later.

After that initial blitz, both team’s physical defenses began to dictate the action. The Red Elephants did not create their first corner until 18 minutes in and Johnson managed just one more shot in that same span.

Gainesville’s Pedro Santos nearly had a highlight reel play for the season with a miraculous steal of a pass from Bowen inside the Johnson box with 11 minutes left. Santos was left with a wide-open net but his shot bounced off the left upright, trickled along the goal line, hit the right upright, and bounced out having never crossed the line as the game stayed scoreless.

After that, it looked like the they would head to halftime in a scoreless tie. But Gainesville’s Dennis Turcios knocked in his own rebound of a shot past a diving Bowen for a 1-0 lead with 6 minutes left. Turcios’s goal was set up by Edwin Garcia, who had a nifty drive and pass through the Knights' defense.

It did go to the half with Red Elephants up 1-0 and it stayed that way in the early minutes of the second half despite both teams turning up the offensive pressure coming out of the intermission.

Garcia kept the Red Elephants in front in the early part of the second half deflecting a Marco Vasquez shot from 25 yards out at the last second. But the Knights continued to press the attack and finally got rewarded when Michael Arcia drilled a low 25-yard liner past a diving Garcia to tie the match at 1 with 30:20 left.

Gainesville nearly reclaimed the lead a minute later, however, but Bowen made a tremendous save from point-blank range on a blast from Santos to keep the game tied. Bowen made two more huge saves on point-blank range shots by both Darvin Vasquez and Santos over the next four minutes.

The Knights fed off that energy two minutes later when Arcia scored his second goal of the game off a beautiful feed from Rigo Campa for a 2-1 lead. Garcia had a chance at the save but was partially screened by a defender.

Johnson then turned back to its defense while Gainesville stepped up its offensive charge. The Red Elephants had three free kicks over the next 8 minutes but could not connect.

With 10:05 left Erick Serrato would get Gainesville back in the game with a huge 30-yard blast that was deflected by a Johnson defender and wrong-footed Bowen to tie the game at 2.

It stayed that way through the two 5-minute overtime periods.

Garcia said it was a big win for the Red Elephants.

“This means a lot us,” he said. “It’s really huge since we hadn’t beaten them in three years. I think this means we have a team that can go far.”

 

JOHNSON GIRLS 4,
GAINESVILLE 3

The Lady Knights scored twice in the final 2:22 to rally for the win.

Carla Avalos slid a shot past the Gainesville keeper with 2:22 left and then Itzel Rivera scored her second goal of the match with 1:07 left blasting a left-footed strike that also slid under the Gainesville keeper for the game-winner.

Johnson’s rally came after Gainesville (1-3) had erased a 2-0 Johnson lead with three straight goals. The Lady Knights (4-1) took the early advantage with goals from Rivera and Dani Malone in the first half.

The Lady Red Elephants staged their own rally tying the match at 2 on a pair of goals from Amayia Lukie in the final eight minutes of the first half.

The two teams then staged a defensive struggle over the first 32 minutes of the second half. Both teams had scoring chances but could not find the net until Lukie gave Gainesville a 3-2 lead with her third goal of the match with 8:07 left.

But the Lady Red Elephants could not hold it.

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