AURORA | Chance after chance went unfinished for the Regis Jesuit boys soccer team in Tuesday night’s Class 5A second round state playoff game and it left coach Rick Wolf bracing for the worst.
Knowing how the game doesn’t always reward the better team with victory, Wolf’s trepidation increased as the minutes ticked by against Continental League rival Mountain Vista at Lou Kellogg Stadium.
Golden goal overtime is especially nervewracking, but Wolf’s fifth-seeded Raiders eventually came through with a 1-0 victory over the 21st-seeded Golden Eagles thanks to a goal by junior Bailey Ledvina in the late stages of the second overtime.
“We had our chances, but we were struggling to finish, so you just have to shake your head,” Wolf said. “You get this idea that something crazy could happen or it could go to pens (penalty kicks) and all bets are off. It was nice it worked out the way it did.”
Regis Jesuit — last season’s 5A state champion — won its seventh straight postseason game and moved into the quarterfinals for the fourth straight season. The Raiders (11-3-3) will have to leave the comforts of home, however, for the next round as No. 4 Castle View (13-2-2) has the home field advantage.
The rematch between the Continental League programs — won 3-0 by Regis Jesuit back on Oct. 1 — is set for 6 p.m. Saturday at Advent Health Stadium.
To get there, the Raiders (who topped No. 28 Fossil Ridge 4-1 in the opening round) had to get past a Mountain Vista team that it beat just 1-0 on league play on Sept. 29 on a late goal by junior Joe Coughlon on an assist from Ledvina.
The same combination — only in reverse — got the job done finally for Regis Jesuit with just over four minutes remaining in the second overtime.
A short throw in came to Coughlon, who drove a cross towards the far post that was finished by Ledvina, who added to his team lead in the goal scoring column with his 10th.
“We kept trying to play it over the top, but their back line has big kids and were well organized,” Wolf said. “They were winning everything in the air, they were super well-coached and hard to break down. …We got a quick and beautiful ball in that finally beat their defense.”
Courtney Oakes is Aurora Sentinel Sports Editor. Reach him at sports@sentinelcolorado.com. Twitter/X: @aurorasports. IG: Sentinel Prep Sports
