BOSTON ― The No. 17 St. John’s Prep soccer team battled back and forth with No. 9 Brookline for nearly a game-and-a-half worth of time in Saturday afternoon’s Division 1 quarterfinal, but in the end it was Brookline that was able to score the winning goal to make it 2-1 in double overtime, ending the Prep’s season at Boston University’s Nickerson Field.
Jake Vana scored the lone goal in the loss for the Eagles, while goalkeeper Joey Waterman had 10 saves in net.
Although the Eagles actually dominated possession and pace of play for much of the first half, it was actually Brookline that netted the first goal. With about 33 minutes to go in the half, the Warriors sent a cross into the box and Max Hatchett finished things off to make it a 1-0 Brookline lead.
The Prep continued to control possession for the rest of the half, and even into the second half, but despite four corner kicks and six shots on goal the Eagles couldn’t get on the board and trailed 1-0 at halftime.
The second half started off the same way, but St. John’s was finally able to break through with about 25 minutes to play when Vana worked his way into the box and fired a rocket into the back of the net to tie it up.
The score remained there through the end of regulation and stoppage time, setting the stage for a sudden-death overtime. Brookline possessed the ball well and notched three shots in the first overtime period, but Waterman stood tall and kept it tied.
But in the second overtime, a shot on net that was stopped by Waterman got knocked back into play, and after a scramble in front of the net the ball found its way home to give Brookline the win and send the Eagles home.
St. John’s Prep finishes the season at 12-5-4.