River Hill boys soccer had to pick itself up in a hurry after host Marriotts Ridge pressed in the second half and put in a tying goal with 10 minutes to play in regulation Wednesday.
The No. 8 Hawks showed resilience with an ideal overtime connection: Defender Luke Martinez heading home Charlie Gerber’s free kick in the fourth minute of extra time for a satisfying 2-1 road win over the Mustangs in Howard County play.
Gerber’s service from the right edge of the penalty was precise, as was Martinez’s header from 14 yards that found the top right corner. River Hill improves to 2-0 overall, while Marriotts Ridge is now 1-1.
“At the end, I just knew when Charlie hit it that it was coming straight to me. … And then right when I hit it, I knew it was going in. It’s an amazing feeling,” Martinez said. “I really couldn’t have done it without everyone here. They all helped. Everything was set up for me to score the goal.”
River Hill settled into the game quickly and after a couple of close calls to open the scoring, used a special effort from forward Logan Aranda to break through in the 24th minute. He collected a ball 20 yards away, got through two defenders as he worked his way to goal through the middle and then sidestepped drawn-out goalie Will Schade to set up his left foot for an easy finish.
The Mustangs came out more urgently in the second half, pressing higher and enjoying big chunks of possession time in their final third. The Hawks’ defense mostly stayed tidy and proved stubborn — center back Josh Felsenberg clearing two balls off the goal line just past the midway point.
With 10 minutes left, Nick Wagner reached a loose ball at the top of the penalty area and hit a clean strike from 18 yards that found the right corner to tie the game.
After regulation, River Hill coach Matt Shagogue urged his group to stay positive. Aranda hit a heavy left-footed shot from 20 yards that was turned away brilliantly by Schade in the first minute. The Hawks successfully defended a Mustangs corner kick before Gerber was fouled at the right edge of the penalty area at the other end.
He then lofted a perfect cross with three Hawks making runs, Martinez getting on the other end to play hero.
The Hawks probably would have preferred the 1-0 win. But the early-season adversity and the valuable extra time that produced a special moment may prove more valuable.
Entering overtime, Shagogue said to assistant coach Julia Elguera: “This is going to be a turning point — how are we going to react?”
The post-game celebration provided a satisfying answer.
“I’m just so proud of these guys and to see them so happy is what it’s all about,” Shagogue said.
Gerber, a team captain who put in grinding work at midfield, believes the performance was something that the team can build on.
“I think it was a really good team effort and a good team win,” Gerber said. “We needed everybody to get it done, everybody had to put in as much effort as possible and we definitely did that. [Marriotts Ridge] definitely showed a lot of fight, but I think we worked harder, wanted it more and we won.”
With seven new starters following last year’s 9-2-1 campaign, the Mustangs can also take away plenty of positives as they made halftime adjustments after a sluggish first half.
“We created the chances we wanted to create, but I don’t think we were good enough in the 18,” said Mustangs coach Quinn Khouri. “I think there’s some balls that a couple of these guys want back to get that second goal. But overall, I’m happy with our second-half performance and how we battled our way back into the game to give ourselves a chance to win.”
Both teams return to league play at 5:30 p.m. Thursday with River Hill hosting Centennial and Marriotts Ridge travels to Guilford Park in its first varsity season.
Goals: RH — Aranda, L. Martinez; MR — Wagner.
Assists: RH — Gerber.
Saves: RH — Glass 2; MR — Schade 6.
Half: RH, 1-0
