Late free kick dooms Merced soccer in title game

The effects from 99 minutes of back-and-forth action played at top speed were evident everywhere Saturday afternoon.

Bodies were slowly breaking down, touches were off and passes were heavy as fatigue spread like wildfire through the Cosumnes Oaks High School pitch. Buildup became almost impossible as heavy legs mucked up the play, increasing the likelihood that an individual moment of brilliance would decide the Sac-Joaquin Section Division II final between Merced and Vintage of Napa.

Crushers striker Jesus Ochoa provided it in the final minute of the second overtime period, drilling a 45-yard free kick on the Merced goal. Bears goalkeeper Saad Sohail came up empty with his leaping punch at the high, dipping shot, and Vintage raised the blue banner with a 2-1 victory.

“It’s a tough way to lose,” Merced coach Bart McAfee said. “I mean, there’s 30 seconds left in the game. I think everybody on the field thought we were going to penalty kicks, but that’s the sport. It can be cruel.”

Merced (21-5-3) looked destined for a victory after an excellent opening 40 minutes. The Bears controlled possession and went into the break leading 1-0 thanks to a wild 10-minute flurry.

Semifinal hero Omar Cortez rocketed a shot from 23 yards out into the right upper 90 of the goal in the 30th minute. The ball struck where the post and crossbar meet and caromed straight down and back out. The crowd lobbied that the ball crossed the goal line, but the head referee was in no position to see it and waved play on.

The Bears kept at it and scored 10 minutes later when Jose Alvarado flicked an Adrian Lomeli free kick over charging Vintage goalkeeper Danny Villalpando. A Crushers defender appeared to clear the ball off the line with his chest at the last minute but was whistled for a hand ball. Alvarado finished what he started, burying the ensuing penalty kick to make it 1-0.

“We were all excited at halftime,” senior midfielder Francisco Rodriguez said. “We wanted to come out in the second half and just keep playing like we were. Then we gave up the quick goal, and it completely changed the momentum.”

Vintage (19-1-3) leveled the score three minutes into the second half when the Bears’ defense could only produce a partial clearance. The ball rolled to Marco Manzo at the top of the Merced 18-yard box, and the freshman one-timed a shot off the left post and in.

The Crushers seized the sudden momentum shift and began pressing for the winner.

Sohail (five saves) and the Bears’ defense weathered the storm, and play began to even out again with about 20 minutes left in regulation.

“They came right at us after they tied it up, but we were able to ride it out,” McAfee said. “We stayed pretty composed on defense and eventually went back on the attack.”

Neither team produced many dangerous chances during the rest of regulation, and each controlled a 10-minute overtime period. The game looked all but headed for a shootout when Ochoa delivered the winner for Vintage.

This story was originally published November 15, 2014 at 10:53 PM with the headline "Late free kick dooms Merced soccer in title game."