by BRANDON PETERSEN
Magic was in the air Wednesday night at the Great Park, where the Westcliff men's soccer team scratched and clawed its way to a 2-1 overtime win over Benedictine.
Jakob Schnitzler soared into the air on a corner set piece from Quentin Hornung moments into the first overtime period and headed the game-winner into the right corner of the net.
He took off sprinting, arms outstretched, toward a raucous Senior Night crowd that included former Westcliff and current Biola University head coach Joey O'Keefe.
Once he made it to the sideline, Schnitzler was mobbed by the crowd, and then his team caught up, resulting a mountain of jubilant humanity that roared into the crisp October night.
"Relief," Westcliff head coach Tom Lancaster replied when asked his emotions in the moment. "You saw it. Everyone saw it. What was cool about it was the guys kept their heads, and they were still quality. Sometimes you get desperate. But they maintained quite a lot of composure, and discipline as well.
"Unbelievable. Unbelievable."
The Warriors needed this one, and it showed.
Still alive to win their pod – dependent on the Embry-Riddle, Saint Katherine outcome Sunday – the Warriors had to win match or their hopes of earning an automatic playoff berth would be dashed.
Westcliff suffocated possession, battering Benedictine's post time and again, from start to finish, and generally making life miserable for Red Hawks' keeper Donato Gil, who finished with 11 saves in a fantastic performance.
So dominant was the Warriors' offensive attack that midway through the second half, a Red Hawks player coming off the field told his coach the back end had requested a fifth player.
"We sent lots of bodies forward," Lancaster said. "But also, we were able to get the ball back in once it was cleared. That's discipline on the guys' part, and it shows – just look at that winner from Jakob. I'd love to see the photo on that and see just how high into the air he got."
Westcliff outshot Benedictine 30-6, and after the Red Hawks captured the lead in the 49th minute on a Hunter Wellcome set piece winner, the Warriors went on an incredible spree of near-misses, perfect crosses that couldn't find finishes, and frequent meetings with that pesky post, which swatted more leather than Dikembe in his prime.
But Lancaster kept encouraging from the sideline. "It will come!" He yelled, time and again.
And then, finally, mercifully, it came.
Max Juha Simonis, who boots a beautiful ball, kicked another beauty, this time from 35 yards out, and found waiting in the box Nikita Pyatetskiy, who gouged the net and set off an eruption.
Like Schnitzler minutes later, Pyatetskiy made for the crowd and the party was on in earnest.
Before the contest, the Warriors celebrated the careers of 11 seniors, including Pyatetskiy.
Westcliff (9-3-1, 4-1-1) heads to La Sierra Friday.
Kickoff is scheduled for 3:30 p.m.
To contact Brandon Petersen, e-mail brandonpetersen@westcliff.edu.
