John BroseCLEVELAND, Tenn. – Cleveland coach John Brose knew his team’s District 5-AAA soccer match against Ooltewah was going to come down to one play. He just didn’t suspect the person who wound up making it.
Rosmel Gallo scored a goal in the 75th minute, and Cleveland had a standout performance from backup keeper Gustavo Wilhelm in defeating the Owls 2-1 Tuesday night at the Greater Cleveland Soccer Complex.
The Blue Raiders (10-3-3, 4-1) still have a match Thursday against Walker Valley and could get the top seed going into the district tournament with a win if Ooltewah (8-2-3, 3-1) adds a victory over East Hamilton on Monday.
“Rosmel’s a playmaker. He’s great on the ball and crafty, but he’s more about getting assists than goals,” Brose said. “It was big that he was willing to take that shot in that moment.”
Wilhelm was inserted into duty when starter Zach Martin had to exit after a collision with Ooltewah’s Trey Taylor. The reserve keeper finished with five saves, three coming in crunch time after Cleveland had taken its one-goal lead.