WALNUT CREEK - On Tuesday night, Northgate narrowly defeated Head-Royce by a score of 11-10, coming back from a three-goal deficit by scoring four times in the last five minutes of the game.
The game was tied at the end of the third quarter, but Head-Royce soon took a commanding lead with a goal by junior Devon Smith and two more by Ryan Hall. However with five minutes to play, the Broncos wrestled the momentum away from the Jayhawks with two goals by Lucas Burgoyne.
The winning and tying goals were scored in quick succession, beginning with an incomplete clear by the Jayhawks, which the Broncos quickly converted to a goal by junior Ben Richardson. Shortly thereafter, Northgate won the face-off with a critical ground ball by junior Nate Boswell. Boswell carried the ball up to the offense and within 10 seconds, a lane cleared for Soren Petersen on the right shoulder. Petersen placed a powerful right-handed shot passed Head-Royce goalkeeper Nick Hebrard to seal the victory for Northgate.
Describing the final minutes of the game, Boswell said, “The adrenaline kicked in and the game kind of slows down and blurs. By the end, it happens in a split second.”
Richardson and Jason Maddon led the Broncos with three goals each. Hall also paced the Jayhawks with three goals.
The last quarter was not the only time the Broncos had to come from behind. The Jayhawks dominated the first quarter with sharper movements on attack and better midfield transitions. The second quarter was a completely different story for the Broncos, who scored six goals and dominated second-quarter possession.
“We really started to press out on ball more and poke at their hands, which made us more aggressive and we ended up getting more turnovers,” Boswell commented.
Junior midfielder Jackson Malacoff spoke to the offensive comeback, “Our offense just had to get in their own mindset and then they would be able to score goals and run the offense efficiently.”
The loss drops Head-Royce to 0-3 on the season. The Jayhawks will continue to seek their first win of the season on Thursday against Sir Francis Drake. On the other hand, the win boosts Northgate to 3-3 on the season. The Broncos will look to keep up their three-game winning streak against Miramonte on Friday.
