Wakefield boys soccer
Wakefield's Greg Judge and Sanderson's Jackson Parker (13) and Nick Cioffi (5) track the ball's flight during Wednesday night's 1-1 tie at Sanderson.
SHS/WHS soccer thriller ends in tie
Not all goals are created equal.
And sometimes, a score is worth significantly more than a single point.
At least Wakefield junior Brandon Rothfuss' last-second goal in Wednesday's 1-1 overtime tie at Sanderson fits the criteria.
Trailing the Spartans 1-0 heading into the final minute of regulation, the Wolverines were clearly in desperation mode.
Several second-half opportunities had failed, and as the clock counted down, Wakefield's chances seemed to have run out.
Highlights from Wednesday's 1-1 tie, including Brandon Rothfuss' goal with 12 seconds left.
But with 20 seconds remaining, Wakefield's Greg Judge tossed a throw-in to teammate Jay Williams, who pushed the ball down to Rothfuss in the corner. The junior then slipped past his defender, and kicked the ball toward the front of the Sanderson net, and it miraculously — at least for the Wolverines — deflected off a Spartan into the net.
"I had been getting to the outside pretty easily, and I just tried to play it across, but luckily it hit off a defender and it went near post," Rothfuss said.
What was Rothfuss' first thought as the goal hit the net?
"It's my first goal on varsity. That's what I thought," the junior smiled. "It was a great feeling knowing that I just put my team back in this game, and we had a chance to win."
Following a celebratory pile-up near the Wakefield bench, two scoreless overtime sessions followed, and the game ended deadlocked at 1-1.
But for the Wolverines, who stumbled through the first half of Cap-7 Conference play, recording a 1-5 mark, Wednesday's draw felt more like a victory.
"We finally got a bounce to go our way," Wakefield coach Scott Sloan said afterward. "Brandon's goal was huge —that point was huge. A lot of teams are going to have a difficult time coming to this field and getting this point. This is the type of thing that gets us going in the right direction. This is where we should be. Now that we found it, we have to keep it. We can't let go of this feeling. We can't forget what it feels like to play well."
The Wolverines displayed an aggressiveness the squad didn't exhibit in its first go-around in league action. (Several people stated an emotional exchange following Monday's postponed game against Durham Jordan may have lit a fire under the Wolverines.)
"Everybody absolutely contributed tonight," Sloan said. "I saw guys working back, defending, that typically won't work back. And I saw guys pushing forward like they were going to goal. Everybody played with with confidence, but more importantly, everybody knew what their role was."
Ironically, Wednesday's 1-1 tie resembled what many spectators expected in the Wakefield's first meeting with Sanderson Sept. 8. But the Spartans jumped out early, never allowing Wakefield to get close, and cruised to a 4-2 win.
Both teams were ranked in the state at the time, but the squads took decidedly different routes soon thereafter.
The Spartans raced out to a 12-0-1 start, before falling to conference leader Broughton 2-1 Monday. On the other hand, the Wolverines couldn't get out of their own way, winning just one of their next six contests.
They were opposites, heading in different directions.
But in Wednesday's match, they appeared on the same level, playing evenly through the first 47 minutes.
That was until Sanderson's Glenn Scott streaked past two Wakefield defenders and notched his 18th goal of the season. John Perfetti assisted on the score.
Wakefield's Kevin Kotecki (11) and Sanderson's Glenn Scott leap for a 50-50 ball during the first half of Wednesday's contest. Scott later scored a goal in the 47th minute.
Instead of folding, however, the Wolverines persistently attacked, and their confidence level never waned, Sloan said.
"I was very pleased with our effort, because every guy we put out there played hard," the coach said. "I thought they played with a lot of heart."
But the Wolverines' renewed energy didn't appear to guarantee success — at least not until Rothfuss' timely kick.
For the Wakefield junior, the tie gives the Wolverines a lift after failing to live up to earlier expectations.
"This is the right way to start the second half," Rothfuss said. "We could have owned this conference, but now we are just fighting for that third/fourth place spot. But when it comes down to the conference tournament, teams better watch out."
Sloan explained the memory of Wednesday night will last longer than just this season, regardless of how the Wolverines finish.
"This is a game — scoring a goal to tie the No. 2 team in the state with 12 seconds to go — these guys are going to remember for the rest of their lives," he said.
The Spartans look to bounce back Monday, Oct. 5, in a non-conference home match with Athens Drive. Sanderson returns to Cap-7 play Wednesday, Oct. 7, visiting Millbrook.
Wakefield is also slated to play the Wildcats next week, hosting Millbrook Monday, Oct. 5. The Wolverines then visit Leesville Road Oct. 7.
