Consol boys soccer team upsets Longview in playoffs

LUFKIN -- A move to the right could do no wrong for the A&M Consolidated boys soccer team.

The Tigers scored two goals in the final 21 minutes to stun the Longview Lobos 2-1 in a bi-district match Tuesday at the Lufkin High School soccer field.

Sophomore Brandon O'Donovan moved to the flank opposite the one he usually mans and looked like a seasoned veteran scoring the equalizer and then starting the game-winner with a hustle play at midfield.

A&M Consolidated (14-10) will play the winner of Dallas White and McKinney Boyd.

"We made a couple of little switches and it paid off, because normally Brandon O'Donovan plays on the left and we switched him to the right," A&M Consolidated coach Chris Kovacs said. "He scores the first one and I'm like whew."

Down 1-0 in the 60th minute, Consol midfielder Nicos Georgehiades sent a long ball into the top right corner of the box. O'Donovan's first touch was exquisite and left him with just the keeper, Alex Rios, to beat -- which he did with a right-footed shot low to the opposite side netting.

"It was the perfect ball coming in. I knew the goal was there so I just tried to get it as close to my foot as I could and it landed perfectly and hit it back post," O'Donovan said. "I hit it with the outside of my foot, the trap, because it was out in front of me and then right footed it."

The Tigers survived a three scares in one sequence less than 30 seconds after equalizing the game.

Tiger junior keeper Kyle Duncan came off his line to block and sprawled at the feet of a Lobo to block a sure goal, the rebound was then blocked by a defender before a third Longview shot skimmed the crossbar.

Duncan was quick off his line moments later on a through ball and after the Tigers survived the Lobos' counter to Consol squaring the game at 1-1, they put together the 1-2-3 combination of the match.

O'Donovan and Georgehiades again played a major part, but this time the roles were reversed.

O'Donovan came back to beat a Lobo to the ball near the midfield stripe and found Yanni Georgehiades down the right side. The sophomore then picked out his brother, Nicos, who one-timed a shot to the right of the keeper from the top of the box for the game-winner in the 68th minute.

"The second half was extremely wide open and we played much more aggressively, winning most of the 50-50 balls and the second balls," said Kovacs. "You have the hook up of brothers and a great game all around. I was super impressed."

Kovacs had to feel better after one, his team had lost the two previous games to drop to third in district and two, were trailing 1-0 at the half.

Longview (18-4-1) opened the scoring in the 33rd minute on a header by Isreal Alvardo, who was unmarked and picked out nicely on a cross from near the left corner.

The Lobos were unfortunate not to have more as the Tiger defense, shaky in the opening minutes, steadily found its form as the game progressed, led by senior Bin Her.

Duncan had two clearances off passes back to him carom off on-charging Lobos for half-chances and just before the first goal Jorgen Perez cracked a shot from 30 yards out that just cleared the crossbar.

Consolidated wasn't without its opportunities, the two best coming on a run into the box by Paul Voelker, which had the Lobos scrambling and forced a corner. Yanni Georgehiades then was unlucky with his shot hitting Rios in the legs after the keeper was unable to cleanly clear a cross.

"I'm just happy the season is continuing," said Kovacs, whose team lost in the opening round last season after winning its first-round games the two previous years. "I told them, I'm not ready for the season to be over and to just think who you'll high-five when it's over."