■ Academy boys win Class 4A title after Lovington miracle goal ■ St. Pius girls edge Hope Christian in 4A final
Kumar’s goal in OT sinks Lovington
Lovington’s goal, under the circumstances, had to rank as one of the most unexpected and stunning goals in the history of New Mexico’s high school state soccer tournament.
Albuquerque Academy’s response led to one of the quickest overtime finishes in the history of the tournament.
The Wildcats’ punch, a remarkable direct-kick goal with 20 seconds left in regulation, was a season-extender, but the Chargers’ counterpunch, in the form of a goal 38 seconds into overtime by junior forward Oliver Kumar, was a season-ender. The sudden finish gave the sixth-seeded Chargers a 2-1 victory over the top-seeded Lovington in the Class 4A boys final Saturday afternoon at Robertson Field.
It was only two days previous that Kumar had scored the gamewinner in the semifinals against Los Alamos.
“The Los Alamos one was crazy enough,” he said. “But it wasn’t a golden goal. Crazy emotions.”
Saturday’s victory lifted the Chargers (10-2) to their fourth state championship in the last six seasons, this one coming against a first-time finalist in Lovington (11-1).
But the Wildcats provided a thrilling moment to force overtime.
Down 1-0, an Academy foul gave Lovington a direct kick — but 55 yards away from the Academy goal, just inside the midfield line.
The Wildcats’ Lucas Contreras lined it up and boomed a shot that sailed over every player on the field — including Lovington’s 6-foot-3 goalkeeper, Jordi Tavera, who had been brought forward. The shot never touched anything but the back of the Academy net as eighthgrade Chargers goalkeeper Zach Sena, somewhat shielded by the mass of humanity in front of him, couldn’t deflect it or save it.
“They crowded the box really well. (Zach) couldn’t see it and couldn’t get a finger to it,” Academy coach Laney Kolek said.
The goal tied the match 1-1. The whistle blew about 20 seconds later.
“We have three guys that can drop the ball in there, as we would say, into the clown’s mouth,” Lovington coach Reyes Marquez said.
Kumar called the foul that set up that direct kick “stupid.” And the Chargers were suddenly forced to deal with a torrent of emotions.
“A bunch of frustration,” Kumar said.
“We were upset,” teammate Neven Zapatka said.
But Academy regrouped quickly, finding an early opening in OT.
Case Manifold sent a ball into the box, where Kumar finished from maybe 4 yards away to end things.
“I didn’t have much time,” Kumar said. “I just took a touch, saw the near post open and I hit it.”
Said Kolek of Kumar, “You know what, he really turned it on this year. … He’s figured out a nose for goals. Finding the back of the net with that poise under that much intensity that late in the match is unbelievable.”
Academy’s two team captains created the first goal of the game, in the 59th minute. Jesus Barraza’s corner was fed perfectly into the box, where the 6-foot-2 Zapatka got his head on it and beat Tavera.
“I knew the back post was open, because the ’keeper was hedging up,” Zapatka said. “I beat my man around, and I just went up for the header and it went in.”
Despite some terrific scoring chances, the Chargers were still clinging to that one-goal lead into the final minute.
The short-term effects of the Contreras goal were quickly supplanted by Kumar’s heroics.
“Still haven’t wrapped my head around the victory,” said Zapatka. “I’m just so enthralled at being in the moment.”
ALBUQUERQUE ACADEMY 2, LOVINGTON 1 Academy 0 1 1 — 2
Lovington 0 1 0 — 1
Scoring: AA, 59th, Neven Zapatka (Jesus Barraza); L, 80th, Lucas Contreras; AA, 81st, Oliver Kumar (Case Manifold). Shots on goal: AA 12; L 3.
Saves: AA, Zach Sena 2; L, Jordi Tavera 8. Corners:
AA 5; L 6.