Ortiz's Golden Goal Propels Walter Johnson Boys Soccer to Region Final

Juan Ortiz had a few seconds to evaluate the opportunity before him, and the Walter Johnson High School midfielder didn't want to let it slip by.

With the ball at his feet about 40 yards from goal and Northwest goalkeeper Julio Castillo desperately scrambling back into position, Ortiz went for the golden goal in the first overtime of Friday's 4A West Region Semifinal.

The ball bounced over Castillo's outstretched arm and into the net. Ortiz's teammates immediately ran toward him, hanging onto his jersey as the team's bench players joined the celebration.

It was all Ortiz needed to confirm he made the right decision.

The No. 1 seed Wildcats beat Northwest, 2-1, in the sixth minute of the game's first overtime at Richard Montgomery High School on Ortiz's long distance strike.

"At the beginning of the game, I had one like that and I just passed it," Ortiz said. "But then I just took my chances. You have like a split second just to think and I just took a shot and it just went in."

Walter Johnson midfielder Mateo Arrenas' attempted through ball to forward Harrison Gibert set up the situation. Castillo came out of the penalty box to cut the pass off and the resulting deflection arrived at Ortiz's feet.

"When [Castillo] kicked it out, I was like 'Please bounce to one of our guys,'" Wildcat coach Mike Williams said.

Castillo sprinted back toward his own goal. But he didn't recover in time. Ortiz lofted a shot over him and a Jaguar defender and into the left corner of the net.

"I wasn't sure what he was gonna do with it," Williams said. "But he hit it. I was like 'Go in. Pease go in.' And it was brilliant.'"

Ortiz's goal ended what was an evenly matched contest. Walter Johnson (13-2-1) defeated Northwest (9-5-1) on a golden goal in the teams' previous matchup, a 1-0 Wildcat win on Oct. 6.

"It's frustrating because the guys worked. We said before the game, 'No regrets, make sure you work,' so there was nothing that you could say that they didn't do this or they didn't do that," Jaguar coach Kert Mease said. "Mistakes are gonna be made. Sometimes, they end up in the back of your net."

Northwest tied the game, 1-1, in the 23rd minute when Randy Green headed a well-placed service from midfielder Robert Hernandez past Walter Johnson goalkeeper Liam Collins. The Jaguars relied mostly on Hernandez's long services into the box.

The Wildcats hoped to play a more possession-oriented style. Even after a goal from Noah Sheetz-Ziegel just less than 10 minutes into the contest gave them a 1-0 lead, it took them some time to gain any traction.

"They put so much pressure on us," Williams said. "I think from the beginning, they got us playing their game instead of our game. I was pleased that the boys turned the tide and we finally started playing our possession style of game. And the tide finally turned to us."

Walter Johnson began stringing together more passes in the second half. Still, Northwest had a chance to take the lead with just more than 25 minutes remaining in regulation.

Malik Gerdes took a pass from Green in the middle of the penalty area and with a teammate making a run to his left. But Gerdes didn't see the open man, and instead turned and shot from point blank range.

Collins caught the ball cleanly and the Wildcats, who will face Magruder on Tuesday for the 4A West Region Championship, gradually gained some momentum.

Finally, Ortiz's overtime moment arrived, one the sophomore said he won't forget.

Unfortunately for Mease and the Jaguars, Ortiz made the right choice.

"I wish I didn't have a good angle on that one," Mease said. "I could tell it was going in. …That kid hit a great shot."

To keep up with local sports, visit www.twitter.com/patchsportsmd.