The two matches the Madison College soccer team played in the NJCAA Region 4 Tournament were mirror images of each other.
Both saw a team rally to tie the match late, then win with a sudden-death goal in overtime.
Madison College was the team that rallied to a 2-1 victory on Oct. 31 against Oakton College in the first round of the tournament.
But Moraine Valley Community College got the 2-1 come-from-behind victory against Madison College in the tournament semifinals on Nov. 3.
In the tournament opener, Oakton College struck first, scoring on a long-range shot 36 minutes into the match. It remained a one-goal game until the 74th minute, when Madison College struck back.
The scoring play started with a throw-in from Alfredo Herrera from the right boundary to John Soberon-Chehade, who pass the ball to Felipe Dewes in traffic. Dewes quickly passed the ball back to Soberon-Chehade, who raced through the Owls’ back line and scored on shot between the goalie and the right post.
Despite three shot opportunities, the WolfPack was unable to score again before time expired, sending the match into overtime.
The game-winning goal came in the 93rd minute, when Carter Uhlman chased down a loose ball near the end line and passed to Junior Guerrero, who headed the ball into the net. The goal was Guerrero’s second of the season and his first game winner.
Madison College struck first in its 2-1 loss to Moraine Valley, as Hudson Nielsen scored off a pass from Rodrigo Lasso at the 78-minute mark.
But Moraine Valley was able to tie the match in the closing seconds after gaining control of the ball outside the penalty box with less than 10 seconds remaining.
Then, 26 seconds into the overtime period, Moraine Valley struck again. When the WolfPack failed to clear the ball from their own defensive goal, Moraine Valley gained control inside the penalty box and squeezed the ball into the net passed a diving Victor Dalum.
The overtime loss was a tough way to end the season for the WolfPack, which finished the season with an overall record of 10-5-2.
Nielsen and João Forte led the team in both scoring and goals throughout the season. They both finished the year with 10 goals and three assists. Carter and Riaan Amini both added six goals during the season. Rodrigo Lasso led the team in assists with nine.
Dalum was stellar in goal, allowing just 16 goals throughout the season, or 1.14 goals per match. He recorded 46 saves during the season.