NEOSHO, Mo. — When his team needed him most, Carlos Hernandez came through in the clutch—twice.
A senior, Hernandez blasted the game-tying goal late in the second half and then knocked in an improbable golden goal in extra time, lifting top-seeded Neosho to a thrilling 3-2 win over second-seeded Webb City on Tuesday night in the championship game of the Class 3 District 12 soccer tournament at Bob Anderson Stadium.
“This means a lot to me,” Hernandez said. “We’ve been one heck of a team since my freshman year. I’m very proud of this team.”
It’s the fourth straight district title for the Wildcats, who improved their record to 18-1 and extended their winning streak to 15.
“That was a heck of a game,” Neosho coach James Carter said. “We knew coming in it would be a battle with those guys. I’ve got a heck of a team. We’ve talked about how they were going to come up against some adversity sometime. One of the questions we had was how would we respond to that. Now we know. They played great.”
Neosho found itself down 2-1 in the second half, but Hernandez recorded an equalizer in the 62nd minute when his free kick from 40 yards out found the back of the net after being tipped by Webb City goalkeeper Noah Mitchell.
“I was trying to cross it,” Hernandez said. “Coach Carter told me to cross it in deep and I did. The keeper tipped it and it went in.”
Neither team managed to score late in the second half, and the game went into a sudden death overtime.
In the 94th minute, Hernandez recorded the golden goal on a long shot from more than 40 yards out that somehow found its way into the net, setting off a wild celebration on the pitch.
Hernandez admitted he didn’t think the ball had any chance of going into the net when it left his foot.
“I just had the nerves to shoot the ball because their keeper was out of the goal,” Hernandez said. “I just shot it…I didn’t know it was going to go in. I thought the keeper had it. It scored and we won districts. I’m just happy.”
The Wildcats, who defeated Carl Junction 8-0 on Saturday, had beaten Webb City 4-0 in the regular-season.
With the season on the line, the Cardinals definitely made the Wildcats earn the win.
Neosho standout Diego Vargas scored on a header in the 24th minute, with Gabriel Zapete assisting.
Webb City tied it up in the 33rd minute when defender Ignatius Mathenge cleaned up a corner kick.
The score was deadlocked at the break.
The Cardinals took a 2-1 lead in the 55th minute on a goal from Gabriel Gallegos.
With the pair of goals, Hernandez was the hero.
“We had some big individual performances, obviously Carlos Hernandez,” Carter said. “Diego (Vargas) played great. Alberto (Robledo) played great, Eder (Aquirre) played great in the back. And Kayden (Wood) made some good saves. With this team, it could be anybody on any given day. They’re incredible and I’m proud of them.”
While Carter was speaking, his players were busy posing for photos with yet another district plaque.
“We never take these for granted,” Carter said. “And we never will.”
The Cardinals, who advanced to the title game with a 5-2 win over third-seeded McDonald County on Saturday, ended the season with a record of 8-16.
It’s safe to say the Cardinals gave a valiant effort.
“I’m sure this is going to be painted as a near-upset, but all along throughout the season we knew we deserved to be here,” Webb City coach Nick Harmon said. “We 100 percent expected to be right there with them all night. And I’m proud of my boys.”
WHAT’S NEXT?
Neosho will take on the District 11 champion, either Willard or Bolivar, in the sectional round on Saturday.
“We’ve seen Willard and we haven’t seen Bolivar,” Carter said. “We’re looking forward to it either way. The guys will be ready to play.”
