Boys’ Soccer: Sage Hill’s comeback falls short

SAN JUAN CAPISTRANO — Down two goals with five minutes left in stoppage time at archrival St. Margaret’s, it seemed there was no possible way the Sage Hill School boys’ soccer team could keep its Academy League title hopes alive.

The defending league champion Lightning never gave up, though. Coach Luis Cruz wouldn’t let his players. He encouraged them to keep competing, and compete is what they continued to do, for another 20 minutes.

Sage Hill’s Chase Munger scored two goals in a four-minute span, tying the match at 2-2 and forcing overtime on Friday.

The momentum swung Sage Hill’s way late, stunning the Tartans, who had won each of their seven league matches. Sage Hill appeared as though it would be the first team to earn at least a point against St. Margaret’s in league play.

The advantage stayed with Sage Hill, playing a man up from the 87th minute on, after the referee gave Matene Alikhani a second yellow card, ending his night.

In the final minute of the second 10-minute overtime, Aidan Smith finished off the Lightning. The senior recorded the game-winning goal in the 99th minute, lifting the Tartans to a 3-2 win and ensuring they stayed perfect in league.

The Tartans are trying to duplicate the kind of season Sage Hill produced last season, finishing 12-0 in league. They are four wins away from achieving that goal.

“It’s a heartbreaker because we fought back,” Cruz said. “They got their player ejected. We have an extra player. We just couldn’t play the right ball at the right time. We had the chances. I think we were fatigued. That got us.”

Sage Hill, which dropped to 4-3 in league, needed the win to stay in contention for first. Munger gave the visitors a chance.

Sage Hill cut the deficit in half right after the Tartans took Tommy Burns down deep in the box, setting up a penalty kick for Munger. The sophomore drilled it past goalkeeper Gordon Larson, and three minutes later, on a free kick from 30 yards out, Munger nailed the shot off a defender and the ball ricocheted into the upper left corner of the net.

The Lightning erupted, while the Tartans looked on in disbelief. They shook their heads, believing goals by Peyton Ridland (27th minute) and Rostin Amirani (49th) would be enough to knock off Sage Hill for the second time this season.

One of the Tartans’ better players, John Leasure, also began to cramp at the end of regulation. The midfielder missed time in overtime, and things looked bleak for St. Margaret’s, which was now chasing the Lightning with nine players.

Nevertheless, St. Margaret’s went back on top, and for good.

“We misplayed [the ball on the left side]. We gave too much time on the ball. We didn’t track the runner,” Cruz said. “Several mistakes were made, but it was a great finish. He struck it like world class.”

It was the kind of shot St. Margaret’s Coach Adam Doty said he has seen Smith strike before while dribbling in the box from the right side. Usually, Doty said, the shot barely goes over the crossbar.

“We found a way,” Doty said. “We wanted to go for the win.”