By Geremy Bass
Bethesda-Chevy Chase midfielder Gus Vita had already played the role of hero on his home field Wednesday night. He snaked through Walter Johnson defenders and fired a high shot into the back of the net with just 10 seconds remaining in the game to tie the score at seven.
In overtime, he did it again.
After Barons’ goaltender Jon Goldberg turned away three quality scoring chances at one end, Vita bounced in the game-winner with 1 minute, 2 seconds left in the extra session to seal the comeback victory. The win improved B-CC to 8-2 and pushed the team’s winning streak to four games.
“We just kept our heads up and this team has so much heart,” said Vita, who also added an assist. “We’re trying to make a statement and become big in the county. This pushes us further toward the playoffs, so this is huge.”
Goldberg, who finished with 14 saves, kept his team in the game with several superb saves early in overtime, and Vita said he had to respond to his good friend’s key play. The two have played on summer teams together and Vita said the big saves fired up his squad.
“He’s been the backbone of our team the whole season,” B-CC coach Alan Pohoryles said of his senior goalie. “I think he’s the best goalie in the county and he proved it today. When I called a timeout [with 1 minute 30 seconds left on overtime], I said, ‘Guys, look, Jonny just made a huge save for you so guys can finish it on offense. Gus Vita had absolutely no gas in his tank and pulled out whatever he could to get those two goals.”
Despite holding a late lead in regulation and thoroughly controlling play for the first two and half minutes in overtime, Walter Johnson couldn’t clinch a road victory and instead fell to 6-4 this season.
The Wildcats pulled ahead early thanks to two goals within the game’s opening three minutes, both on slick inside passes from midfielder Daniel Cohen. Cohen finished with three goals and two assists.
“Daniel’s been great all season,” Wildcats coach Jon Mayer said. “He puts a lot on his back and wants to win it all. He’s very talented. All these guys are very, very talented; it’s just a matter of making little mistakes. They show flashes of brilliance, but the mistakes kill them.”
B-CC rallied back and the score remained knotted at three after the first quarter. The teams then traded goals until Cohen’s third tally of the night put Walter Johnson ahead with 5:17 left, but they couldn’t hold the lead in the final seconds. The defeat marks Walter Johnson’s second loss in overtime in its last three games.
For B-CC, however, the win sets another high point in an already successful season.
“With our games against Churchill, Whitman, and now, Walter Johnson, we had never beaten any of them,” Pohoryles said. “At least not in my seven years here, but I think before that as well. But this year we beat all three of them. Everybody on the team came together. [Walter Johnson] is a great team and the fact that we were able to hang with them is amazing.”
