For nearly 76 minutes Tuesday, the top-ranked Ooltewah boys' soccer team put shots everywhere but in the net. But when the Owls had to have some goals to survive, they got them.
Callum Wishart scored on a penalty kick with 4:02 left in regulation to force overtime, and the Owls scored two in the extra period to beat Coffee County 3-1 in the Region 3-AAA semifinals.
Ooltewah got overtime goals from Trey Tucker and Felipe' Munoz, but it was Wishart's shot past Red Raiders goalkeeper Josh Jones that kept the Owls' season alive. They travel Thursday to Cookeville, which beat Cleveland 3-1.
"That was the first penalty kick I've taken all season," Wishart said. "I had some goosebumps, but not much."
Ooltewah (18-1) dominated possession throughout the game and finished with a roughly 5-to-1 shooting advantage. But the Owls weren't putting many shots on goal. And with Ooltewah pushing so many players forward, Coffee County (10-8-2) had some breakaway opportunities.
After a scoreless first half, the Red Raiders took an improbable 1-0 lead on Alex Cedeno's breakaway goal with less than 22 minutes remaining.
Ooltewah coach Rick Adolph said the Owls didn't panic, and they took advantage of a massive break with 4:04 remaining. A ball crossing the penalty box in front of the Coffee County goal took an odd bounce and hit defender Baltazar Barrerea in the left arm, earning the Owls a penalty kick.
"We got the bounce, and sometimes at this stage of the game you've got to be a little lucky and fortunate," Adolph said. "We put ourselves in a good position with the pressure, and something was bound to happen."
With the momentum back on its side, Ooltewah couldn't end the game in regulation, but it needed just 30 seconds in overtime to take a 2-1 lead. Tucker scored on a well-executed header to put the Owls in front, and Munoz sealed the win with a breakaway goal several minutes later.
Ooltewah outshot Coffee County 36-7.
John Frierson is in his fifth year at the Times Free Press and fifth year covering University of Tennessee at Chattanooga athletics. The bulk of his time is spent covering Mocs football, but he also writes about women’s basketball and the big-picture issues and news involving the athletic department. A native of Athens, Ga., John grew up a few hundred yards from the University of Georgia campus. Instead of becoming a Bulldog he attended Ole ...
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