Pasadena's Dante Gonzales (19) is mobbed by teammates after his overtime goal broke a scoreless tie and carried the Eagles to victory.
Pasadena High junior Dante Gonzales broke up a sleepy scoreless tie with a quick nod of his head Tuesday night, supplying the decisive goal in a 2-0 overtime victory that eliminated Memorial in a Region III boys quarter-finals showdown at Veterans Memorial Stadium.
The Eagles, District 22-5A’s third-seeded team, scored in each of the two 10-minute overtime periods to advance to the regional semifinals round.
Pasadena will take a 16-3-3- record into a Friday match with Cypress Springs, a 1-0 winner Tuesday night over Cinco Ranch.
The Pasadena-Cypress Springs game is set for Friday at 5:30 p.m. at Deer Park’s Abshier Stadium. Should the Eagles win, they’ll play in the regional championship game on Saturday at Abshier with a state tournament berth on the line.
Katy Seven Lakes and Fort Bend Clements will meet in the other semifinal game at Abshier on Friday.
Gonzales scored on a header with 1:49 on the overtime clock. The decisive sequence began with a free kick by Julio Jimenez near the left corner. The kick appeared to be headed out-of-bounds on the far side of the net, but Gonzales came up from the backside and butted the ball toward the goal.
The ball struck the bar and went in, setting off a wild celebration from the Pasadena side of the stands.
The Eagles killed off the remaining time in the first overtime and cruised through the second with fresh momentum. Then with just 59 seconds left in the second overtime period, Pasadena's Julio Montano converted a penalty kick opportunity for the Eagles’ second goal.
The outcome also provided the Eagles with a measure of payback. Two of their three losses came at the hands of the Mavericks during the regular-season and paved the way for Memorial’s co-championship with Sam Rayburn. Both games were 1-0 decisions.
Memorial finished the season with a 14-3-7 record.
Memorial goalkeeper Diego Vasquez (left) tries to cut to his right in an attempt to stop a penalty kick in the final minute by Pasadena's Julio Montano. At right, Montano is congratulated by teammate Aurelio Ortuno (3) after his kick sailed into the net for a 2-0 Eagles lead.
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Pasadena's Luis Cayon (10) and Memorial's Ryan Guajardo collide in midair as each tries to control the ball with a header.
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Pasadena's Ozie Alcarez (18) watches as his free kick in the second half sail high.
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Pasadena Coach Gavin Bruce watches the action in the first half.
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Memorial's Raymundo Guajardo (16) works the ball around the Eagles' Luis Cayon (10).
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Memorial students cheer on their team.
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Memorial's Denzel Rodriguez (15) clears the ball just ahead of a shot attempt by Pasadena's Julio Jimenez (7).
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Memorial Coach Scott Macneish watches the first-half drama unfold.
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Pasadena's Luis Cayon (10) unleashes a shot on goal as Memorial's Erick Arrambide (4) and Ryan Guajardo (19) defend.
Pasadena students unfurl a banner late in the contest.
Eagles players applaud the support of their fans after the game.
Coach Bruce catches an ice-water bath from his players.
Pasadena fans celebrate the victory.
The Eagles pose for a team photo after the game.