East Duplin wins PK thriller

BEULAVILLE — Penalty-kick practice is a high-stakes preparation often mistaken for a “lottery.”

A single, ice-cold moment can seal a team’s — or an individual’s — legendary status.

Enter Alex Vazquez.

The East Duplin senior defender stepped up to the dot, lined up the ball and waited for the referee’s whistle. Red Springs goalie Brandon Reyes slapped his gloves together and waited.

The outcome hinged on Vazquez’s right boot.

Once the shrill whistle pierced the air, Vazquez took a slight stutter step and ripped a perfectly-placed shot to lift the Panthers to a 5-4, penalty-kick triumph at Aldridge Field inside Powers Stadium on Nov. 2.

“It made me nervous being the last one to shoot it ... my first time ever doing it in a game,” a smiling Vazquez said. “I decided to go to the other [right] side. At the end, it felt good and now we make it to the next round.”

The 13th-seeded Panthers saw their postseason end with a 2-1 loss to traditional power Siler City Jordan-Matthews on Nov. 5. East Duplin concluded the year 9-14-1 overall.

Red Springs scratched first in the eighth minute.

The Red Devils attempted a free kick that deflected off the arm of a Panthers’ defender. The visitors’ second attempt sailed into the net.

East Duplin didn’t flinch.

Playing relentless pressure and constantly winning first balls, they built a counter attack and earned a throw-in near the Red Devils’ 18-yard box.

Angel Torrez tossed it into the 18-yard area and the Panthers’ shot deflected off the post. However, Oscar Ramirez collected the rebound and tapped in the equalizer.

Over the next 70-plus minutes, the teams generated attacks yet neither could finish in the other team’s defensive third. East Duplin took 16 second-half shots with eight on goal — all saves by Reyes.

“That’s the been the story of our season,” ED head coach Joey Jones said. “I thought we knocked the ball around well, connected some passes. The guys really rallied behind each other tonight.”

East Duplin goalie Logan Diaz smothered two dangerous shots during the last 45 seconds of regulation. The junior net-minder stopped a one-on-one early in the first overtime with the Panthers up 2-1 on Manuel Diaz’s unassisted mark.

Red Springs knotted the contest at 2-2 with eight minutes left in the second OT. Fatique and cramps began to factor into play, which caused numerous stoppages.

Neither team mustered any offense during the two five- minute “golden-goal” sessions.

Next came PKs.

Red Springs (5-14-2) connected on four of five shots.

East Duplin converted all five attempts. The Panthers’ earned a reprieve on their first attempt when Reyes stepped off the line early and blocked Eric Gonzalez’s shot.

Gonzalez regrouped and fired a strike high over Reyes.

Diaz’s out-stretched paws just missed a couple of Red Devil attempts. He finally stopped the fourth shot, which kept the shootout deadlocked at 3-3.

“It was a little rough, but encouragement from my teammates and family out there ... telling me which way to go and which way to believe, and I believed in myself,” said Diaz, who ended the night with 10 saves. “I made the decision and had it. I had to do it for our seniors because I believe the season is not over for us.”

East Duplin collected its 31st postseason win in program history.

Jones gushed over Diaz’s effort between the pipes, but also praised the team for keeping its composure. The opening-round playoff victory erased some of the bitterness encountered during an uncharacteristic up- and-down campaign on the pitch.

“You know, goalies have to put their bodies on the line and he’s improved all year ... gotten more confidence,” Jones said of Diaz’s performance. “When you get into a shootout, it’s anybody’s game at that point and I’m glad we got out of it tonight. The one he stopped was fantastic.”