BROCKTON, Mass. ---- Trailing 2-0 in the second half, the Massasoit men's soccer team rallied to force extra time as the Warriors topped Dean College 3-2 in double overtime on Wednesday at Warrior Field.
Massasoit (11-4-0, 7-1-0 Region XXI) has now rattled off seven consecutive wins, including the second against the Bulldogs in overtime this season.
With the victory, the Warriors will serve as the host team for the Region XXI Championship, slated for Saturday, Nov. 1. Massasoit will face either Dean or CCRI.
"We came out very flat in the first half and gave up an unlucky goal on a corner kick. Then in the second half Dean scored on a PK so we fell into a 2-0 hole," Massasoit head coach Rui Estrela said. "But I'm proud of the guys for coming back. They got it done. Even being down 2-0 they still played with a lot of confidence. And we are thrilled to have the Regional Tournament back home."
Trailing 2-0 nearly three-quarters of the way through the contest, the game looked bleak for the home Warriors. Until in the 70th minute, when Junior Depina (Brockton) served in a pass into the box to Pepe Vieria (Brockton) who headed the ball home to put Massasoit on the scoreboard.
With under five minutes to play, Flavio Cula (Brockton) rifled a cross into the box, which was flipped up by Vangjel Kutulla (Norwood) to teammate Joel Lobo (Brockton) who connected for a header to tie the score, 2-2.
Upon the end of regulation, and a scoreless 10-minute overtime period, Lobo struck again, on a scramble in the 102nd minute of action for the golden goal in thrilling fashion.
Despite the loss, Dean (9-5-1, 5-3-0) received a strong showing in goal from keeper Karim Mohktar. In net, Mohktar made 13 saves as Massasoit fired off a total of 33 shots in the win.
WHY MASSASOIT WON: The Warriors did not give up on Wednesday afternoon against the rival Bulldogs. Even facing a 2-0 hole in the second half, Massasoit kept fighting.
Massasoit also created numerous more opportunities than Dean, and finally took advantage late in the game.
LUCKY NUMBER 7: Massasoit claimed its seventh win in a row with the 3-2 double overtime win over Dean. In fact, Massasoit won by the exact same score in double OT in its last match, last Sunday against Burlington County.
CLOSE ONES WITH DEAN: For the second time this season, Massasoit defeated Dean in extra time. The Warriors topped the Bulldogs 1-0 in overtime back on Sept. 17 in Franklin, Mass. Massasoit has now defeated Dean in each of the last four meetings.
LOBO SCORING STREAK CONTINUES: Joel Lobo netted two more goals for Massasoit, giving him a team-best 17 for the season and 32 for his career in Green and White. Lobo has scored a goal in each of Massasoit's last seven matches and has netted a total of 12 goals during that stretch.
NEXT UP: Massasoit hosts Mercer County on Saturday at Noon in the final regular season home game of the season for the Warriors.
