OPTIMIST GAME OF THE WEEK: Extreme Action upsets No. 1 seed
Published 3:00 pm Saturday, October 25, 2014
Extreme Action Park made its only attempt on goal in regulation count, as the No. 5 seed pulled off an improbable upset of the No. 1 team, Tree Time Archery, in the semi-finals of the Division IV tournament.
Coming off an upset of the No. 4 seed, Phillips-Wright Furniture, earlier in the day, Extreme Action Park utilized a similar game plan against Tree Time Archery, dropping five to six players back on defense to frustrate the opposing attack, which was built around Oscar Espinoza and Pam Pack varsity midfielder Eric Ruiz.
Ruiz and Oscar Espinoza, along with Meredith Espinoza and Erika Gachoz, pressed the Extreme Action defense throughout the first half, limiting the opposition to just one shot on goal with 18 minutes to go. However, Extreme Action made the most of it. A through ball from Joseph Martinez found the right foot of Luke Matthews, who faked out a defender and tapped it to the left of the goalie. Despite being outshot 11-1, it was Extreme Action who went into the break with a one-goal advantage.
Five minutes into the second half, Ruiz was fouled hard at the edge of the box. The referee signaled for a penalty kick, which the Washington sophomore drilled to the right of goalie Jerry Rivera, tying the game.
Tree Time Archery continued to pour on the shots in the final 40 minutes, but failed to get any past Rivera, who came through with save after save for his team. The closest opportunity came 10 minutes into the half when Ruiz blasted a 25-yard shot off the crossbar.
And with 10 minutes to go, another Ruiz shot was tipped away by Rivera off the crossbar without the ball crossing the goal line.
At the end of regulation, Tree Time Archery had outshot Extreme Action Park 31-1, but the score remained even at one goal apiece.
After two uneventful five-minute overtime periods, a spot in the Division IV finals would be decided in penalty kicks. Two sets of kicks were netted for each respective team. Then, following a successful attempt from Extreme Action, Rivera came through with an acrobatic save to put his team ahead 3-2.
And after another make, a Tree Time Archery player blasted one over the goal, sealing the victory and a place in the finals for Extreme Action.