The High Point High School boys soccer team survived 100 minutes of play and a penalty kick shootout to beat Eleanor Roosevelt in a 4A South Region semifinal on Thursday. The Eagles will play for the region championship Tuesday night.
High Point and Roosevelt were deadlocked at 1-1 after 80 minutes of regulation and 20 minutes of overtime, but the Eagles outlasted the Raiders, 6-5, in the shootout. High Point will be at home for the regional final at 7 p.m. Tuesday. The Eagles await the winner of the the other 4A South semifinal between Bowie and Bladensburg (3 p.m. Friday at Bladensburg High).
High Point (12-2) got a first-half goal from Eric Medrano. Roosevelt equalized midway through the second half on a goal by Rene Pizarro off a long throw-in from Jeffery Hopper. Neither team scored during the two 10-minute overtimes, forcing the contest to penalty kicks.
In the shootout, High Point got goals from Maxime Bebe, Chris Vargas, Medrano, Mario Sermeno, Cesar Castro and Siwapun Phumiphuk that were countered by goals from Roosevelt's Hopper, William Fisher, Ramone Cameron, Theodore Wilkening and Adam Quigley.
Phumiphuk's goal gave the Eagles a 6-5 lead, and then High Point goalie Herman Keungwe dove to his left to make the save on a shot by Harif Balogun to seal the victory.
"I just watched the ball on penalty kicks," said Keungwe, who led his team on a victory lap around the field after his game-winning save. "I never look at the player, I just focus on the ball. I saw it when he kicked it. We get to play here at home in the championship. We lost here last year [in the regional final to Bowie] and we don't want to lose again."
Roosevelt (12-3) won the county championship against Central, 4-0, at High Point field eight days earlier, but Thursday evening the Raiders headed to the bus decidedly disappointed in the outcome.
"We had some good opportunities in the first half and in the overtimes," said Roosevelt coach George Kallas. "We just didn't finish. It's been the same way for us all year. I knew at some point it would come back to bite us. I was just hoping it would not be today."
Quigley was one of the last players to leave the field. He said the only consolations from the season were the county title and his goal in the shootout, the team's last of the fall.
"It was disappointing because we worked so hard and we played so well together," Quigley said. "It's tough for the last guy who misses. The only thing you can do is hit the shot and then watch. I made my last shot and then I just stood there. It's a tough way to end."