SUNSET BOYS SOCCER: Freshman caps Durango rally

Durango boys soccer coach Richard Cuellar pulled aside Christopher Barmasco before the start of overtime Tuesday and gave the freshman a brief pep talk.

"I told him, 'Right now, you're going to get me a goal,' " Cuellar said. "I just felt like he was ready for it."

Cuellar's hunch proved to be correct.

Barmasco scored three minutes into extra time, lifting the Trailblazers to a thrilling 4-3 victory over Bonanza in the quarterfinals of the Division I Sunset Region tournament at Bettye Wilson Park.

Durango (11-4-6), the No. 2 seed from the Southwest League, faces Northwest League champion Cimarron-Memorial (16-3-5) in the semifinals at 4 p.m. Thursday.

"My heart is stopped," Cuellar said. "They played a great game, a great possession game. They played with all their heart and played with a lot of commitment for me, and I'm just so proud of these guys right now."

Bonanza (6-8-1) took a 3-2 lead in the 79th minute on a goal by Robert Black but was unable to see out the final few minutes. Giovanni Rodriguez latched on to a long punt from Trailblazers goalkeeper Paolo Sarnataro and fought off a defender before sending a shot into the upper-right corner to tie the game on the final kick of regulation.

In the overtime, Barmasco settled a perfectly threaded pass from Rodriguez and slotted it past Bonanza keeper Dariem Cristostomo, who kept the Bengals in the game with 10 saves.

"We've been unlucky all season long with putting balls in the back of the net," Cuellar said. "I told them they have to step up their game, and they showed it tonight."

Durango controlled play in the first half and outmuscled the Bengals in midfield for most of the opening 40 minutes but had nothing to show for it. Cristostomo made several key stops, including a diving save on Rodriguez's free kick from just outside the penalty area.

The Bengals broke the deadlock in the 54th minute as Fernando Arevalo dribbled along the goal line then cut inside before sending a shot past Sarnataro. Taichi Mouri gave the Bengals a 2-0 lead a little more than 10 minutes later before Durango rallied.

Marcos Delangel-Parra was fouled in the box in the 69th minute and converted the penalty kick, and Jamie Munguia's looping header in the 71st minute tied the score at 2, setting up the frantic finish.

Bishop Gorman 2, Centennial 1 — Cobi DeLeon scored on a rebound 11 minutes into the first overtime, lifting the Gaels to a come-from-behind victory over the Bulldogs.

DeLeon also assisted on Brandon Malek's tying goal in the 70th minute. Gorman (11-3-4) faces Southwest League champion Legacy in the semfinals at 6 p.m. Thursday.

Ahmed Green scored off a set piece in the first half for Centennial (6-4-7).

Cimarron-Memorial 7, Palo Verde 1 — Gustavo Garcia-Reyes and Ernan Hernandez each had three goals as the Spartans routed the Panthers (7-9-4) in a rematch of last year's region final.

Arturo Bahena scored on a second-half penalty kick, and Dresdan Quackenbush added two assists for Cimarron, which led 4-0 inside of 30 minutes.

Hernandez scored the Spartans' first two goals, and Garcia-Reyes made it 3-0 on his first touch after coming on as a substitute. Garcia-Reyes then scored on a spectacular diving header in the 30th minute.

Ricky Calero had a second-half goal for defending state champion Palo Verde, which played the final 18 minutes with 10 players because of a red card.

Legacy 5, Arbor View 1 — Justin McCabe had two goals and an assist, and Mario Adams added a goal and two assists as the Longhorns (8-9-4) downed the Aggies.

Daniel Quinonez and Cesar Cisneros also scored for Legacy, which led 5-0 at halftime. Kevin Calderon and Eduardo Gamino each had an assist.

Niko Dongmann scored the lone goal for Arbor View (9-10-1) off an assist from Alfredo Carrera.