Golden goal delivers Flintridge Prep boys’ soccer overtime win over Rancho Mirage
The Flintridge Prep boys’ soccer team defeated Rancho Mirage on Friday in the CIF quarterfinals in sudden-death overtime.
- Share via
La Cañada Flintridge — An unexpected postseason run from the Flintridge Prep boys’ soccer team will continue into another round thanks to an improbable and spectacular play.
A huge kick from Rebels goalie Hamilton Evans was headed in by sophomore Garrett Gaines in the 87th minute in sudden-death overtime to deliver the Rebels a come-from-behind 3-2 victory over visiting Rancho Mirage High in Friday afternoon’s quarterfinals of the CIF Southern Section Division VI playoffs.
NEWSLETTER: Stay up to date with what’s going on in the 818 >>
The triumph not only means that the Rebels (13-5-2) are the area’s final boys’ soccer team standing, but the program will also advance to Tuesday’s semifinals at home versus Shadow Hills (16-5-2).
Flintridge Prep won the coin toss against Shadow Hills, which tied for second in the De Anza League with Rancho Mirage (15-5-4) and Desert Hot Springs. Shadow Hills earned its berth by blitzing Maranatha, 5-1, in quarterfinal action Friday.
“This is all house money,” Flintridge Prep Coach AJ Yates said in reference to his team’s playoff run. “We have nothing to lose and we’re playing with a bunch of young guys who don’t know any better. They just want to win.”
Flintridge Prep took advantage of its small and cozy field in the 87th minute when Evans lined up for a free kick about 10 yards past his team’s 18.
With Yates imploring his kicker to “blast it at the goalie,” Evans did just that, ripping a high-arcing ball that entered the opposing penalty area.
Gaines, who was hobbling down the sideline only 10 minutes earlier, rose out of a crowd that gathered around the pass and headed in the match-winner.
“The ball was in the air and I know that I can jump higher than most people,” said Gaines, who was mobbed by teammates and an overflow home crowd moments after the score. “I timed my jump right and hit it over the goalie.”
The big kick was one of several smacked that afternoon by Evans.
“I’ve never actually scored a goal on a punt yet, but I’ve got pretty close,” said Evans, who finished with eight saves and one key assist. “My strategy is to look back post because we have a lot of people there.”
The score was the second off a set piece and the second consecutive for the Rebels.
Flintridge Prep tied the match at 2 in the 60th minute thanks to the fancy footwork of Tim Treinen.
The sophomore scored the second of his two goals when he received a pass inside the box from sophomore Ramzi Beshir, broke down one defender and finished far post from five yards.
“Once I beat that guy, I thought I was going to cross it, but I saw an angle and just took it,” Treinen said. “It was cool to see it go in. It was really exciting.”
Treinen kicked off the game in stunning fashion when he scored on a 10-yard header far post off a corner kick from sophomore Andrew Lathrop in the fourth minute to give the Rebels a 1-0 lead.
Rancho Mirage rallied behind its own dynamic scorer in junior strike Nathan Ocampo.
After just missing on a goal in the 20th minute, Ocampo put his team on the board by beating three defenders inside the penalty area and scoring in the 29th minute.
Ocampo later gave his squad a 2-1 lead when he scored on a cross from Luis Gastelum in the 44th minute.
Flintridge Prep, which finished fourth in the Prep League and earned an at-large berth into the playoffs, now owns victories this postseason over No. 2-seed Rio Hondo League champion Monrovia, Academy League runner-up Sage Hill and De Anza League second-place finisher Rancho Mirage.
“No one expected this run. I can’t even say we did,” said Evans, who is also a member of the surprising Flintridge Prep baseball team that won a Division VI title in June. “It’s ridiculous. Winning in [penalty kicks] against Monrovia and now in overtime today – what a senior year.”
--
Andrew J. Campa, andrew.campa@latimes.com
Twitter: @campadresports
