Mustangs put in overtime to win Kick-Off Classic

Considering that Monday was Labor Day, it was fitting the Shadow Ridge boys soccer team worked overtime to capture the title at the Southern Nevada Kick-Off Classic.

Blake Damato tied the score at 2 on a penalty kick with less than five minutes left in regulation, and Nate Kramer made two saves in the penalty-kick shootout as the Mustangs outlasted Tech in the championship game at Liberty.

Aric Kraft, Tyler Lavoie, Justin Beck and Damato converted penalties for Shadow Ridge, which won the shootout 4-3 following 20 minutes of overtime.

The Mustangs defeated Centennial 4-3 on penalty kicks in a semifinal Monday morning after the teams played to a scoreless draw.

"The boys dug deep," Shadow Ridge assistant coach Brian Lavoie said. "To play two full games and 40 minutes of overtime and beat Tech, I'm amazed at their courage and how hard they worked."

Mustangs goalkeeper Nate Kramer was credited with 19 saves, including a key stop in the 62nd minute on Guillermo Flores' free header and a diving deflection on Julio Vargas' low drive midway through the second overtime period.

Most of the crowd came out of the stands and watched the shootout from the sideline. Kramer kicked aside Hugo Flores' attempt in the fifth round to keep the score deadlocked at 3, and Kraft followed with the clinching goal for Shadow Ridge.

Brandon Vargas and Flores had goals for the Roadrunners, who had a 25-match winning streak snapped on Saturday. Julio Vargas, Salvador Garcia and Fabian Vera converted in the shootout.

"We played good enough to win. Once it goes to penalty kicks, it could be anybody," Tech coach Josh Jones said. "This shows where we're at and what we need to work on going into the season.

"Even though we lost two games in this tournament, we learned valuable lessons we can carry through the course of the season."

The match's main talking point came late in the second half with Tech clinging to a 2-1 advantage as Papin Nava was bundled over on the edge of the 18-yard box at the end of a Shadow Ridge counterattack. The Mustangs were awarded a penalty kick that Damato put into the lower-left corner.

"The last play I thought was a questionable call," Jones said. "I thought we played well to control the match. It's just unfortunate."

Shadow Ridge started the match brightly as Damato rattled the post with a free kick in the fourth minute. The Mustangs snagged the lead in the 16th minute as Dominic Damato was given all kinds of space through midfield and slotted the ball past Tech goalie Michael Henry from 15 yards away.

Tech equalized through Brandon Vargas' left-footed blast from 20 yards away in the 26th minute and nearly took the lead in the 29th minute. Julio Vargas got free down the right side, but Kramer was able to deflect the shot and Beck cleared the ball off the line for the Mustangs.

It didn't take long for the Roadrunners to take a 2-1 lead, though. Less than two minutes into the second half, Hugo Flores was left unmarked at the back post and headed in Julio Vargas' corner kick.

"It was a total team effort," Brian Lavoie said. "We targeted this year two years ago when we took over. I think we sent a statement. We beat all good teams here."

Shadow Ridge 0, Centennial 0 — The Mustangs advanced to the final by downing the Bulldogs on penalty kicks after neither team scored in regulation.

Shadow Ridge’s Kramer and Centennial’s Tanner Polley each recorded a shutout.

Tech 4, Green Valley 1 — Fabian Vera had a goal and an assist as the Roadrunners pulled away from a 1-1 tie at the half and downed the Gators.

Brandon Vargas, Derian Salcido and Hugo Flores also scored for Tech.

Roberto Rodriguez had Green Valley’s goal.