CALIFORNIA 8 CALGARY 7 (OT)

3/11/10 - Last year the California Cougars ended the CMISL champ’s season with an incredible rally and an amazing finish.  The Cougars won last year’s North American Championship Semifinal 10-9 in OT over the Edmontin Drillers.  This year it was the Quarterfinal and it was the Calgary United, but the result was no less memorable, an 8-7 overtime win that advances the Cougars to meet La Raza de Guadalajara tomorrow.

Instead of Majell Aterado’s game winning goal at the buzzer that was called off was Antonio Sutton’s risky gambit.  With the Cougars trailing 6-3 with about nine minutes left in the game, Sutton pulled goalkeeper Jesus Molina in favor of sixth attacker Nelson Santana.

The Cougars weren’t connecting offensively until Vicente Figuerora’s second goal of the game cut the score to 6-4.  73 seconds later Brian Farber scored to drop the lead to 6-5.  With 7:53 still to play many would have expected Sutton to put Molina back in goal.  And when Santana’s long bomb was deflected past Marcel Galaskiewicz to tie the game with 6:39 left if woould have been almost unheard of to keep Santana in goal, but that’s what happened.

It backfired briefly when Calgary was called for their 6th foul and the Cougars had a vitrual 6 on 4 advantage.  Nic Reyes got free and his shot missed, but hit the boards and deflected in off Santana with 3:35 left to give Calgary a 7-6 lead.

Undaunted Santana pushed on  and hit an absolute rocket to tie the game again with :39 seconds left.

The Cougars were resolved to live or die by the sword and Santana remained in the game through overtime.

With 5:40 remaining in the extra session Sutton hit a high bomb that found the back of the net from deep in the corner to give the Cougars the walk-off win.

SIDEKICKS 6 CINCINNATI 5 F

A listless 1790 Cincinnati Express team found their legs too late and just when things were going their way Adhemir Martinez scored the game-winning goal with 20 seconds remaining to give Sidekicks del Estado de Mexico a 6-5 win to advance to play the San Diego Sockers.

The Sidekicks led 2-0 at halftime and 4-1 and the end of the third quarter.  It was 5-2 in the fourth quarter when Cincinnati went to Jeff Hughes as the sixth attacker.

The same sixth attacker magic worked for Cincinnati as it had earlier in the day for California.  Matt Brienes tied the game and ran over to the bench and pumped his fists and exorted his 1790 teammates.

What was then an anti-climax for Cincinnati was a celebration for the Sidekicks.

The game was a partial rematch of last year’s Semifinal.  During the offseason the Sidekicks signed several free agents who last year played for the Oaxaca team that Cincinnati beat 10-6.

Friday’s Semifinal will be La Raza de Guadalajara vs. California at 5:00pm and the San Diego Sockers vs. Sidekicks at 7:30pm.