Chattanooga Christian's soccer team controlled most of its matchup at Northwest Whitfield, but with time winding down and a home loss looming, the Bruins found a second wind Monday evening.
The teams battled to a 1-1 tie with the home squad scoring the equalizer with less than two minutes left to play.
Northwest (12-1-3) had trouble penetrating the stout CCS defense in the middle of the field but was able to create danger with a slew of corner kicks. A late foul gave the Bruins a free kick several yards outside the box, which was deflected out for a corner.
Roger Contreras was on the receiving end and drove a powerful header into the back of the net to send his team into a frenzy. Nicolas Infante collected the assist.
"This team doesn't quit. All year long they've kept on fighting. Even in our one loss to Dalton, we didn't quit," said Northwest coach Ryan Scoggins. "Our mids kept winning balls at the end and pushing us up, and sometimes all it takes it one good push at any moment."
Northwest was strong on the edges, earning eight corners to four for CCS (2-1-1), which proved to be the code to crack the Chargers' defense.
"We had more shots, but they just kept getting corners, which finally beat us up," CCS coach David Stanton said. "They really flooded the box there in the end and brought everybody in."
The late push by Northwest capped a second half that had the opposite vibe of the first, when the Bruins were the aggressors early but the Chargers flipped the script after a slow start.
"They put us on our heels and took advantage," Scoggins said. "They're a strong team, and I like playing good teams late in the season, because it helps us get in that playoff mindset."
With 13 minutes to play in the first half, the Chargers' JohnMark Duble broke free in the box and drew an indirect free kick that was safely cleared away.
Will Patton then found space with the clock approaching eight minutes, and this time a foul in the box led to a penalty kick. Drew Bolano sent the goalkeeper diving the wrong way and confidently stroked the ball into the lower right corner for the 1-0 lead.
The penalty kick was the last clean look either team got in the half. Manuel Zapata picked up two saves for Northwest on rockets from outside the box, while the CCS defense kept keeper Micaiah Allison out of trouble until the equalizer.