Wednesday, Nov. 5, 2003 | 9:55 a.m.
Oscar Molina pulled off his orange jersey even faster than he changed the complexion of the Sunrise Region boys' soccer playoffs.
Molina, a freshman midfielder for Chaparral, took off the shirt in celebration of his Tuesday overtime golden goal that pushed the fourth-seeded Cowboys past Southeast Division champion Coronado, 1-0, at Bettye Wilson Fields.
Chaparral (NE-4) now takes on Desert Pines (NE-2) Thursday in the Sunrise semifinals. The Jaguars advanced by downing Silverado (SE-3), 2-1.
Desert Pines likely expected to face the Cougars, who were regarded as the favorite to win the region.
Molina, however, erased that idea in the third minute of the first overtime period.
Molina corralled the ball at the top of the 18-yard box, turned and wriggled free of the defense, and fired a low shot that just escaped the diving save attempt of Coronado keeper Raul Ceron.
The sudden death goal sent Chaparral's sideline into hysterics and left many stunned Coronado players sprawled on the field.
"It was a great shot," Schell said. "I was really glad it came to Oscar. He has really emerged for us this year."
Schell told his team before the game to use its underdog status to its advantage.
"Expect teams to underestimate you because you're in fourth place," Schell said.
In the other Sunrise semifinal, Green Valley (SE-2) will take on Valley (NE-1). The Vikings survived a tough challenge from Vo-Tech (SE-4) before pulling away in the second half for a 3-1 victory.
Senior forward Darko Jovic led the Vikings, scoring both their first and final goals. Valley coach Terry Pryer feels that his team struggled through nerves against the Roadrunners.
"I think the boys felt the pressure of being the No. 1 seed in our area," Pryer said. "It took a while to settle down."
The Gators moved into the semifinals by defeating Las Vegas (NE-3), 2-0.
The Sunset Region quarterfinals offered few surprises. Third-seeded Durango scored a 3-0 win against Cimarron-Memorial (NW-2) to claim the only victory for a lower seed.
Southwest champion Bishop Gorman overcame a slow start to eliminate Cheyenne (NW-4), 4-1. Bonanza (SW-2) claimed a 2-0 win against Palo Verde (NW-3) and the Bengals will face Centennial (NW-1) -- a 12-0 victor against Sierra Vista (SW-4) -- in the semifinals.
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