Where’s Liam? Ferraro lifts Vail Mountain in OT
James Mill | Special to the Daily |
EAST VAIL — What? No Liam Hurley?
What’s up with that?
Vail Mountain School soccer topped Roaring Fork, 3-2, on a golden goal by Peter Ferraro, assisted by young master Hurley, on Thursday afternoon on the legendary grounds of Bandoni Alumni Field in East Vail.
And it saved the Gore Rangers from what could have been a serious downer of a draw (or even loss) after they held a 2-0 lead against the Rams with five minutes left in regulation.
“The boys played too well to earn anything but a win,” VMS coach Pete Petrovski said. “We missed chances that we’ll work on. I love their heart. I love their determination. They showed a lot of resilience. … For those guys to dig deep and go down there in the first five-and-a-half minutes of overtime was awesome.”
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Calling it on the bench
Petrovski was correct in that VMS was the better team on the field on Thursday, but soccer can be a cruel game. The Gore Rangers, who eventually upped their record to 4-1, looked like they were cruising to an easy one when Dylan Cunningham scored on a sweet feed from Peer Carnes on the left side during the 28th minute.
When Ferraro headed one in from Kevin Garcia with five minutes to go, that tally seemed like a mere formality.
And then Roaring Fork (3-1) gave VMS the scare of a lifetime. Gustavo Oliva halved the lead and then just as the buzzer sounded, Oliva hooked up with Axel Palomera for the equalizer.
Despite a stunning turn of events, junior Sam Shay had the solution from the bench. He called that Hurley would score in overtime to win it. This shows that VMS has clearly been paying attention during the last year or so. Hurley had two golden goals last year and, thus, was a logical choice.
As it turned out, Shay was one number off. Hurley wears No. 10 and Ferraro is No. 9.
Eric Zdechlik started the sequence sending it up to Kevin Garcia. Garcia to Hurley sent Ferraro on for his game-winning shot, and the Gore Rangers happily spilled onto the field to celebrate.
“I was just glad it was over,” Ferraro said. “I did not want to lose to them again.”
This was the nonconference tilt between the Gore Rangers and the Rams — the two will meet again in Carbondale for the Slope fixture — but Ferraro had point. The Rams beat VMS twice last season, and the hosts wanted to turn the tide on Tuesday.
Keep your Head up, Resi
As for the fact that Hurley did not score a golden goal this time around, Petrovski will keep No. 10 on the varsity roster.
“I know. I’ll have to talk to him about that,” the coach joked.
The most relieved guy in the home white uniforms was sophomore defender Michael Resnick, aka Resi, who felt that he was solely responsible for Roaring Fork tying the game late.
Not so, Resi. It’s a team sport, kid.
“We got a little loose and lackadaisical on defense there and our midfield pushed up a little too much there,” Petrovski said.
VMS returns to play on Saturday at home when it hosts Alexander Dawson.
