AURORA | With his team failing to finish all day, Jose Martinez took a little time and did it right in overtime.
The senior midfielder paused during his point blank chance in the closing seconds of the first extra session of Thursday’s Class 5A state playoff first round contest and cooly put the ball in the net to lift third-seeded Rangeview over No. 30 Regis Jesuit 1-0 at Aurora Public Schools Stadium.
Martinez’s golden goal with 11.5 seconds remaining in overtime gave coach Vic Strouse’s Rangeview team a first-round playoff victory over Regis Jesuit for the second straight season and lifted it into an Oct. 30 second round contest against No. 19 Denver East, a 2-1 upset winner over No. 14 Highlands Ranch.
Rangeview improved to 16-0 with its sixth victory of the season in overtime.
Coach Rick Wolf’s Regis Jesuit team finished the season 6-8-2.
Frustrated by a variety of missed chances during regulation, Rangeview came out aggressively in overtime.
Jack Ramirez hit a line drive that was saved by Regis Jesuit goalkeeper Geoff Kice and also launched a diving header just wide early in the extra period.
With time winding down, Ramirez initiated the winning sequence, sliding a pass between a pair of Regis Jesuit defenders that came onto the feet of Martinez, who was alone in front of the goal.
Pausing to get Kice to commit, Martinez poked a shot that made it into the corner of the net past Regis Jesuit defender Jax Hindmarch, who slid in front in attempt to clear the ball off the line.
Martinez was mobbed by teammates after the winning goal — only his second of the season — and they lifted him up on their shoulders in celebration.
(3) RANGEVIEW 1, (30) REGIS JESUIT 0 (OT)
Score by halves:
Regis Jesuit 0 0 0 — 0
Rangeview 0 0 1 — 1
SCORING
Overtime
Rangeview — Jose Martinez, 94th minute
Courtney Oakes is Sports Editor of the Aurora Sentinel. Reach him at 303-750-7555 or sports@aurorasentinel.com. Twitter: @aurorasports. Facebook: Aurora Prep Sentinel.
