AURORA | With another game coming up the next day, Vista PEAK boys soccer coach Federico Gomez didn’t have much time to savor the Bison’s overtime win Wednesday.
That being said, there was some satisfaction in how his team prevailed against a tenacious visiting Denver West squad that won last season’s matchup.
Junior Christian Magana scored the golden goal midway through the first overtime period for a 4-3 victory that kept the Bison undefeated through three games of their first season with Gomez as head coach.
Juniors Hunter Carroll and Noah Karwacki and sophomore Irvin Carreon also had goals for Vista PEAK (3-0), which came out on top in a see-saw affair against a 13-win team from 2016 that beat it by five goals last time.
Magana — who also was credited with two assists on the day — had scored a goal in the Bison’s previous two games and it took until the 85th minute to keep his scoring streak alive. The rangy forward got around the edge of the Cowboys’ defense and put a left-footed shot past a diving goaltender.
Vista PEAK players took Magana down in a heap of celebration in front of a small, but vocal cheering section at the field just outside the school.
Karwacki gave the Bison the only goal of the first half when he finished a ball that bounced off the hands of Denver West’s keeper off a corner kick serve.
The second half saw an increase of offensive fireworks as the teams combined for five goals.
The Cowboys grabbed the lead on a nice goal off a corner kick play followed by a penalty kick conversion. Carreon tied it up at 2-2 almost immediately, however, and Carroll gave Vista PEAK the lead inside the final 10 minutes.
A Denver West shot that fluttered its way through Bison goalkeeper Ron Dobbs with about six minutes left in regulation tied it again at 3-3.
Vista PEAK plays host to 5A Bear Creek at 4 p.m. Thursday.
Courtney Oakes is Aurora Sentinel Sports Editor. Reach him at 303-750-7555 or sports@aurorasentinel.com. Twitter: @aurorasports. FB: Aurora Prep Sentinel
VISTA PEAK 4, DENVER WEST 3 (OT)
Score by halves:
Denver West 0 3 0 — 3
Vista PEAK 1 2 1 — 4
Vista PEAK goals: Hunter Carroll, Irvin Carreon, Noah Karwacki, Christian Magana (GWG). Vista PEAK assists: Magana 2, Carroll, Savier Garcia. Vista PEAK saves: Ron Dobbs (6 shots on goal-3 saves)