There’s not much in sports that can match the intensity of sudden-death overtime. One moment of brilliance can win a game, while one mistake can lose it. When sudden death comes in a section final game, a mistake can end a team’s season in mere seconds.
That was the case for St. Louis Park (14-2-1) Tuesday night as the Orioles surrendered an own goal 88 minutes into the Class 2A, Section 6 final to lose 1-0 to Wayzata at St. Louis Park High School.
Wayzata’s (9-4-5) Jake Ogle got behind the Orioles defense and attempted to play a centering pass to Ethan Wagner, who would’ve had a tap-in to send the Trojans to their third-consecutive state tournament. But the pass never reached Wagner. Instead, it was cut off by an Orioles’ defender. It was not what Ogle had planned, but he got the result he wanted, as the ball took an awkward deflection and slowly rolled past the goal line.
“At this point of the year, goals are goals and you take whatever you can get,” Ogle said.
Wayzata is heading to the Class 2A state tournament for the third-straight year after defeating St. Louis Park, ranked No. 4 in the Class 2A coaches’ poll, in a 1-0 overtime victory.
The Trojans (9-4-5) scored the game-winning goal to win the Section 6 final at St. Louis Park High School with 1:36 left in overtime, as Jake Ogle got past the Orioles’ (14-2-1) defense, then played a centering pass that deflected off a defender for an own goal.
It took both teams a while to get much offense going. In the first half, neither team was able to create any significant chances with 18 mile-per-hour winds making it tough for players to connect on aerial passes.
The most dangerous threat at goal came in the final 90 seconds of the first half, when St. Louis Park’s Nikolas Pantazides took a shot from 25 yards out. It was hit directly at goalkeeper Perrin King, but the save was made difficult due to the sun being directly in his eyes. King was able to corral the ball safely, making one of his four saves in the game.
The second half had more action, with each team getting clear chances at goal. The Orioles’ Randy Mayele had two looks at goal within the first 10 minutes of the half, with both of his close shot attempts going wide.
The Trojans created a dangerous chance near the end of regulation, as Stuart Sain played a threaded through ball that traveled past two defenders and found Ethan Wagner in-stride. Wagner tried a first-time shot, but Orioles goalie Leo Finley was able to close down on him and make the critical save, the most important of his four throughout the game.
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