Down 2-1 with less than 20 minutes to play, the Bossier Bearkats charged back for a 3-2 victory over the St. Louis Catholic Saints in a Division III quarterfinal match at Wednesday evening at a cold and windy Memorial Stadium.
“That was a nailbiter,” Bossier Head Coach Orlando Medellin said.
Bryan Thuyizare scored what proved to be the winning goal on a penalty kick from eight yards out with about eight minutes left.
Thuyizare was awarded the PK after a St. Louis defender was called for a handball on a shot from about 30 yards out.
Bossier (18-6-2), the No. 3 seed, will travel to Baton Rouge to face No. 2 University Lab (19-2-2) in the semifinals. The Cubs defeated No. 7 E.D. White 3-0 in their quarterfinal match.
St. Louis Catholic, the No. 6 seed, closed its season 9-8-2.
Bossier led 1-0 at the half. Wilson Alvarado scored off a long inbounds kick perfectly placed in from of the goal with about 20 minutes left.
St. Louis tied it on a penalty kick from 12 yards out with just over 20 minutes left.
The Saints then took the lead after a free kick to the front of the goal with about 18 minutes to play.
It took Bossier less than two minutes to tie it. Leonardo Villarreal scored on a header off a corner kick.
“That really kind of set the tone,” Medellin said. “When we tied the game that fast they were like OK, we can win. I told the coaches like we can win it. We’ve got to stay disciplined … We can’t afford to make any more mistakes.”
The victory was Bossier’s second over St. Louis Catholic this season. The Bearkats won 1-0 on Dec. 21 in Lake Charles.
That caused Medellin some concern.
“It’s always hard to beat a team twice in the same season,” he said. “That’s really one of the concerns of a coach is always like playing teams twice in the same season. If you beat them it’s always hard to beat them again.”
Medellin said tough regular-season schedule helped the Bearkats prepare to rise to the occasion Wednesday against a tough opponent he believed was underrated.
“The boys stayed disciplined,” he said. “They stayed focused. And I really think the strength of our schedule throughout the season really set the tone.
“We played really high quality teams and we lost a few games that I honestly don’t think we should have lost. The Sterlington game — not disciplined, focused. And that’s what happens when you’re not disciplined. If the other teams wants it more than you you’re going to lose those games.”