A clank and a close call.
"That's how it goes sometimes," Prairie Seeds Academy coach Youssef Darbaki said.
En route to defeating St. Paul Humboldt 4-3 in overtime Thursday night at Hopkins High School, defending Class 1A boys' soccer champion PSA benefited from a Hawks shot off the crossbar 12 minutes in and two penalty shots awarded in its favor down the stretch to earn a return trip to the Metrodome for next week's semifinals.
For a Lycans team that entered the game undefeated, scored more than 10 goals four times during the regular season and hadn't allowed a goal since Oct. 6, it was a wake-up call.
"I was scared for us," junior Ismaila Jome said.
He had good reason.
Jome's pretty pass to sophomore Mounir Darbaki set up a 2-0 lead 18:16 into the contest. Usually, that means lights out for the opposition. But while the Lycans relaxed, the Hawks refused to let up.
Goals by Myat Aye and Julian Garcia-Delaney evened the score midway through the second half before the Lycans' first penalty kick was awarded -- and converted by Adama Keita -- with 10:30 to play. But Aye answered just 68 seconds later on an innocent-looking lob shot to force overtime.
