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Warriors rally past V-Hawks in OT thriller

By Aaron Schneider

FOREST CITY – Marco Uribe delivered the golden goal to lift the Waldorf College men’s soccer team to a 3-2 overtime win over Viterbo University during Wednesday’s North Star Athletic Association (NSAA) opener.

During the extra period of the showdown between the Warriors (5-6, 1-0) and the V-Hawks (5-6-1, 0-1), Waldorf freshman Francisco Brasil Burns took a shot that was immediately blocked. Getting his own rebound, Brasil Burns fired a second shot that struck the right post. Viterbo goalkeeper Quinten Ludwig struggled to handle the ball and Uribe knocked the rebound into the back of the net as the junior from Santa Ynez, Calif. capped the come-from-behind victory.

“I’m very proud of the boys for not giving up and fighting until the end,” Waldorf coach Edgar Gonzaga said.

Senior Steven Shelley and junior Cristian Alvarez also provided goals for the Warriors. Junior Stephen Jenkins, Uribe and Brasil Burns contributed assists.

The V-Hawks received goals from Sebastian Flores and Marcel Benthin. Jared Ewings and Benthin turned in assists. Viterbo’s offense saw 25 shots during the match, 11 of which were on goal.

Viterbo was the first to strike as Flores capitalized off a corner-kick pass from Benthin during the seventh minute.

The Warriors did not waste time in evening score. Shelley broke through Viterbo’s defense drilled the equalizer from Jenkins’ pass just 45 seconds after Flores’ goal.

In the 28th minute, the V-Hawks took a 2-1 lead as Ewings executed a right-side cross kick that Benthin took full advantage of.

Viterbo held the lead for the rest of the first half. During the 52nd minute, Alvarez connected on the equalizer with the help of assists from Brasil Burns and Uribe.

“They really stepped up in the second half and controlled the game,” Gonzaga said.

The match showed a high level of physicality from both sides. The two teams combined for 18 shots during the second half, but no other shots became goals as the Warriors entered their first overtime match of the season.

“I felt the momentum was with us going into overtime,” Gonzaga said. “I told the boys to relax, play simple and focus on being clinical in front of the goal.”

With Uribe’s golden goal during the 95th minute, the Warriors surpass their win total from last year.

“We were able to go at them and make a half chance a game-winning goal,” Gonzaga said.

Waldorf fired 20 shots in the win, registering nine shots on goal.

Uribe turned in four shots on goal, Alvarez and Shelley had two shots on target while junior Conner Schmidt also had a shot on goal. Senior Kwaku Amoah and freshman Yan Arruda Caires also contributed to Waldorf’s shot total.

Senior goalkeeper Erubey Ponce faced 11 shots on the night and collected nine saves for the Warriors, who displayed unselfishness while battling throughout the matchup to secure the win.

“I’m very pleased with the teamwork and commitment the boys showed,” Gonzaga said.

Waldorf hosts Grace University (4-5) on Tuesday in a 7 p.m. contest at Bolstorff Field.