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Buzzer beater: Liberty defeats Centennial with last-second goal
BY CHRIS O'DELL, codell@starlocalnews.com
FRISCO -- Centennial and Liberty entered the 80th minute of Friday's District 18-4A showdown knotted at a goal apiece.
Sophomore Phillip Le made sure the game didn't end with a shootout, scoring the tie-breaking goal with just three seconds left on the clock to give the Redhawks a 2-1 victory.
"We were knocking on the door," said Fred Kaiser, Liberty head coach. "We just couldn't finish until then."
Liberty had several opportunities to score the equalizer before halftime but got denied by Centennial senior goalie Cory Deflice.
"[The Redhawks] came out strong," said Robert Watson, Centennial head coach. "They're the first-place team in district for a reason."
Deflice made the game's biggest stop in the 46th minute on a PK attempt from Liberty senior Vince Koch. A diving save preserved Centennial's one-goal lead until Liberty was awarded another PK just two minutes later.
"That was huge," Watson said. "If we don't have another one like that, we definitely have the momentum swing in our favor."
Deflice, who signed with Hill Junior College in February, couldn't make it back-to-back stops and surrendered a goal to Liberty senior Zach Tiongson in the 48th minute. Tiongson's score evened the game and sparked a Liberty rally that featured multiple scoring opportunities in the final half.
"We had a good three of four chances," Kaiser said. "We just couldn't get it in the back of the net."
Junior midfielder Stian Sandbekkhaug came close to giving Liberty its first lead of the night in the 70th minute after blasting a shot just wide of the post.
"It was a good game," Watson said. "We had a few opportunities down there but just couldn't finish."
Trying to rebound from Tiongson's game-tying goal, the Titans nearly regained the lead in the 78th minute when Parks was forced to stop a header on net. Soon after, the Redhawks regained possession and went coast-to-coast before Le scored the game's decisive goal to prevent a shootout.
"[A shootout] would have been close," Watson said. "Shootouts really become a roll of the dice."
The score came without Delice in net after the senior broke a finger midway through the second half and sat out the remainder of the game.
"It's a good possibility he's out for the rest of the season," Watson said.
The Titans fell to 10-12-2 on the year and 4-4 against district counterparts with a March 19 game against Frisco next in line. With just two games remaining in the regular season, Centennial needs just one win to clinch a postseason berth.
The Redhawks maintained their grip of the top spot in district by improving to 18-2-1 on the season and 7-1 against 18-4A foes. Liberty looks to stay on the winning track with a 7:30 p.m. contest at Heritage on the same day.
"It's another real tough team," Kaiser said. "From top to bottom, [Heritage] is the real deal."
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