No. 5 Archbishop Curley battled back from deficits of 2-0, 3-1 and, later, 4-3 to top visiting McDonogh, 5-4, in double overtime, Tuesday afternoon at Curley, as the MIAA A Conference soccer playoffs got underway with quarterfinal action.
As has been the case for much of Curley’s success this season, senior Brady Geho provided the fire power. Geho scored twice in the contest, including the Golden Goal with just 24 seconds to play in the second overtime as the Friars stunned the 7th-ranked Eagles in East Baltimore.
Curley (14-8-1) tied the game at 3-3 midway through the second half and equalized, once again, when junior Philippe Oliveira lofted an 18-yard left-footed strike in the top left corner of the goal, to knot the game at 4-4 with 8:49 to play in regulation.
The teams battled without another goal well into double overtime and were just 24 seconds away from a penalty kicks shootout to decide the match. A McDonogh foul, however, just outside the box, led to a direct kick opportunity for Curley. The ball was tapped to Geho by Andrew Throneburgh, and the Friar star rocketed a shot inside the left post, lifting Curley to the dramatic victory.
McDonogh (10-10-1), which struggled through much of an injury riddled season, got hot in the final weeks, including a win over Curley late last month, and appeared well on their way to the semifinals. The Eagles got early goals from Blake Lloyd and Kobe Koemany to grab a quick 2-0 lead. Following Geho’s first goal, McDonogh took a 3-1 halftime lead with a score from Aidan Smith.
Curley turned the momentum in the second half as Casey Price scored twice to square the match. McDonogh moved back in front with a score from Tyler Tucker.
In Tuesday’s other quarterfinal, third-seed Loyola survived a strong challenge from 6th-seeded Archbishop Spalding, breaking a 1-1 tie with 13 minutes to play, on a goal by Danny Klink.
Tuesday’s results setup Thursday’s semifinal round, as Curley will visit top-seeded and top ranked Calvert Hall, which is undefeated and Loyola will visit second-seeded John Carroll. The winners will play in Sunday’s championship game at UMBC Stadium (5:30 p.m.).
