Right place, right time.
But to do it three times in one game? Jonathan Green might just have a keen sense of knowing where to be.
The Newport Central Catholic junior scored all three goals in the Thoroughbreds 3-2 victory over Cooper in the 9th Region soccer tournament quarterfinals, including the golden goal in double overtime.
“Team effort. I was just in the right place at the right time,” Green said. “Ryan (Desmond) put one up perfectly twice and Chase (Fields) led one off great to me and let me make a play. Defense held up when they had to and we finished it out.”
The Thoroughbreds memorable season carries on. Tuesday’s win was the 16th of the year, the most they’ve had in a season since 2002 when they won 17 and made the state tournament quarterfinals.
“They’ve been resilient the whole year, it’s a fun bunch,” Thoroughbreds coach Benjamin Williams said. “It’s been awesome. It’s fun to put it together and have these moments like this.”
The opening 40 minutes told a different story, Cooper dominating possession in the midfield and building a 1-0 lead heading into the break. The goal came from Tanner Musgrave in the 25th minute off a header from a corner kick, the Jaguars fifth corner kick of the half as they continually pressed into the ‘Breds box.
The Jaguars put seven shots up in the first half to NewCath’s three, five of them on net to the ‘Breds two.
“We tried to create some overloads and create numbers in the middle of the field in the first half and then they caught on to it in the second half and kind of flipped the script on us,” Jaguars coach Doug Flesch said.
The next 40 minutes belonged to NewCath for the most part. The Thoroughbreds came out of the half and seven minutes into it found the equalizer, Green hitting a shot on the ground near post and fitting it in on an assist from Chase Fields.
Just five minutes later, it was a beautiful cross from Ryan Desmond from outside the box and placed perfectly to Green’s head and into the back of the net. Desmond is known to normally take the ‘Breds corner kicks and while this one was just a little closer than a corner, set up Green on a tee.
“God he picked out the right spot there for him to go up and elevate. Unbelievable play,” Williams said.
Remember that for later.
The Jaguars, suddenly finding themselves down a goal with less than 30 minutes to play, had to figure something out. They caught a break in the 67th minute when ‘Breds keeper Mason McCloskey was whistled for a foul in the box when he jumped for a free ball and hit a Jags player.
Landon Hughes proceeded to then take the penalty kick and knotted things up just over a diving McCloskey to his left.
Neither was able to get the game-winning goal in regulation from there.
“It was important to hang on from there. We talked as a staff just get to the end and get to the overtime periods and see if we can throw something at them,” Williams said.
After the first five minute overtime in which each team put a shot on goal, the ‘Breds earned a corner kick in the early stages of the second overtime.
Desmond stepped up to take it. His ball was sent to the back post and there was Green again, right place, right time to head the ball into the back of the net and send the Thoroughbreds into a frenzy. Green ran down the sideline as his teammates chased him to celebrate.
“Just running around and enjoying it,” Green said. “Knew on that last goal I had to run towards the ball, find the opening and realized it was my turn to run onto it, give it full contact and put it over the keeper’s head. Just knew I had to make good contact and it will go in.”
The Thoroughbreds controlled the second half and overtime with 11 shots, eight of them on target. The Jaguars had six shots, four of them on target. McCloskey made seven saves for NewCath, Carson Morgan with seven saves for the Jaguars.
The loss puts an end to Cooper’s season at 7-8-5, unable to get past the first round of region since 2020. They’ll graduate six seniors from this year’s team.
“We’re a super young squad, sophomore heavy and that lack of experience in October kind of showed it a bit tonight,” Flesch said. “I can’t thank these seniors enough. Everything they’ve done on and off the field has made me a better coach.”
NewCath lives on to face Dixie Heights, a 4-2 winner over Holy Cross in the quarterfinals. The two met on Sept. 19, a 2-1 ‘Breds victory.
“They’re a good team. Everyone that’s winning now is a champion,” Williams said.
Tuesday’s win was the Thoroughbreds first in the region tournament since 2019.
