East Ridge forward Alfonso Lopez’s nickname on the soccer field is “Fonzy.”
Because of his performance in Tuesday’s District 6-A/AA semifinal against East Hamilton, there’ll be a few more “Happy Days” for the Pioneers.
Weber Morales had the go-ahead goal in the first 10-minute overtime, while Lopez scored two goals, including the clincher in the second overtime, as East Ridge advanced to the district final with a 4-2 overtime victory over the first-year program.
East Ridge (9-5-3) will play at sixth-ranked Hixson (16-1-1), a 4-0 victor over Red Bank in the other semifinal, in Thursday’s championship game. According to Pioneers coach Jeremy McIntyre, the trick to the victory Tuesday was just getting the ball up front to forwards Lopez and Chase Steele.
“We expected them to be strong offensively,” he said. “They have a good midfield, but we thought that if we could get the ball up front with Chase’s speed and Alfonso, we’d have a chance.”
Francisco Solar gave the Pioneers a 1-0 advantage 14 minutes into the game with a shot from distance, but the Hurricanes (10-7-1) answered two minutes later when Daniel Duk headed in a Logan Cornelius corner kick.
Lopez netted the first of his goals when he followed a Solar free kick with 20 minutes to go in the half.
The defenses took over for the next 45 minutes, but East Hamilton’s Jackson McClure finally broke free on a pass from Kyle Gallups and scored when keeper Jonathan Rodriguez came out trying to corral a free ball.
McClure then scored what was thought to be a game-winner on a free kick after a yellow card, but the goal was waved off.
“It was probably frustrating for the guys, but it was the right call,” East Hamilton coach John Millard said. “It was unfortunate.”
Millard, who starts seven to nine eighth- and ninth-graders and has no seniors, was pleased with how his team played.
“I thought we played well enough to win,” he said. “I thought we had a flurry of dangerous opportunities, and I’m proud of how we responded for the duration of the match.”
The Pioneers knocked out Hixson in last year’s district semifinals, and the two teams battled to a 3-all tie this year.
“The guys set a goal at the beginning of the season to accomplish what we did last year and more,” McIntyre said. “This is what we worked for, and I knew we could pull it off.”