Heading into Friday's showdown between Fremont (6-4, 4-2 Region 1) and Syracuse (6-4, 3-3 Region 1), fans, players and coaches knew it was going to be a great game.
And it certainly was.
After ending the second half tied for second place in Region 1, both teams took a break and returned to the field for overtime.
Then, less than 20 seconds after receiving the first kick, Fremont's home fans cheered when Dylan Bruce took a pass from Logan Peterson and fired a shot. The shot hit the back of the goal, giving Wolves a thrilling victory. Won 2-1.
“You dream of that moment,” Bruce said. “When Logan passed me the ball, there was no one in front of me, so I just hit the ball as hard as I could and luckily it went in.”
As soon as Bruce scored the goal, he was immediately surrounded by teammates who gathered to celebrate.
“It felt great,” he added. “I’m glad we won in the end.”
“It was a real rocket,” Fremont head coach Darren Irwin said after the game with a big smile. “I don't think anyone could have stopped that kick.”
Irwin was grateful for the win, but said the team could do without the extra-time drama that it experienced this year.
“I'm too old for this kind of thing,” he said jokingly. “This is the third overtime this year and the second overtime where we scored in less than 30 seconds. I don't know what the secret is to overtime, but it would be nice if we could do it in the first 80 minutes of the game. hey.”
Fremont got off to a fast start as the Blues scored the first goal just six minutes into the game. After a long throw-in, the ball bounced and came to rest at Junior's feet. After scoring the ball, Bruce took a quick shot and converted a corner kick to give Wolves a 1-0 lead.
Despite falling behind early, Syracuse fought hard and tied the game in the 46th minute when Boston Chaney delivered a perfect pass near the front of the goal and Brody Kardon slotted it into the net.
The second half was more intense and both teams had plenty of chances to score. Fremont's Kayson Cotter gave the Wolves two great scoring chances, with the senior making two perfect passes into the box, but Peyton Clark and Cam Graves couldn't convert their headers. .
“Then I was talking to (Syracuse) coach (Josh) Kealamachia and we talked about how good Region 1 is this year and how deep it is,” Irwin said. “Every game is close and today was no exception.”
After losing 3-1 to rival Weber earlier this week, Fremont bounced back with an important win to keep its regional title hopes alive. The win moved Fremont to sole second place, just one game behind first-place Farmington.
The loss dropped Syracuse to a tie for third place with Weber. The two teams will face off next Wednesday as the Titans look to rebuild after consecutive losses.
