Harman puts in sudden death goal, giving the Eagles a state soccer title

It was déjà vu all over again for Avon’s boys soccer team. And because of it, the Eagles are state champions. In becoming the first team from Lorain County to win a state soccer title, Avon won its second consecutive match in sudden death overtime. In the state semifinal, the Eagles defeated Brecksville-Broadview Heights, 2-1, on a wind-aided miracle shot by sophomore Connor Britt from about 40 yards out. In Sunday’s Division II final at Historic Crew Stadium in Columbus, it was Brock Harman’s turn in the spotlight. The senior took advantage of a hesitant defense and then chipped the ball over a goalkeeper who had wondered too far from home, giving Avon a 1-0 overtime victory over Kings Mills Kings and the gold trophy that goes with it. “The way it happened, the way some of these games ended, I guess you have to have a little luck on your side,” said coach Chris Dore. “But I’ll tell you, I don’t know if it was meant to be or what, but the goals that we scored to win these games were crazy.” Here’s an in-depth look at the state championship-winning goal as seen by Dore: With just over 6 minutes remaining in the first overtime period, Harman chased down a long, clearing pass from his defense. Kings goalkeeper Brody Sucher also ran after the ball, reaching it first outside the goalie box, about 30 yards from the goal. The match was played in difficult conditions, with steady rain, gusty winds and temperatures in the mid-40s. In such weather, the turf was very slick, forcing Sucher to come far out of goal several times. “In those conditions, with the ball and the turf being so slick, when the ball gets past the defenders, whether it’s under control or out of control, it’s probably better for the keeper to come out,” said Dore. “They’re trying to just easily clear it away, and he did so most of the time.” But Harman’s hustle caused this instance to be different. Sucher tried to boot the ball away, but instead, it deflected off of Harman and stayed in bounds. “I feel bad for (Sucher),” said Dore. “What are the odds that our guy’s going to chase him down, it’s going to hit off his chest and stay in bounds? But it wasn’t something that we were discussing, like, ‘Hey, we’ve got to take advantage of this.’ It was more that it just happened.” Harman running after the ball in the first place was a result of some prodding from Dore throughout the match. Because of the conditions and the fact that both teams have stifling defenses—Avon allowed just two goals while going 9-0-1 in its final 10 matches, and Kings allowed a paltry eight goals the entire season—Dore knew that one special play could be the difference-maker. “I was encouraging Brock to do that more than he was for the rest of the game,” said Dore. “I was explaining to him that you’ve got to create goals where they don’t exist by doing things like that. He clearly got the message because he chased the ball down.” Harman, the leading goal scorer for the 17-2-3 Eagles, was able to settle the ball amid a defense that seemed hesitant. It appeared Kings felt that Harman had deflected the ball illegally, as the nearest defender raised his hand, looking for a call on a hand ball. “I think they were stunned,” said Dore. “I think they stopped for just like a half second, and it gave Brock an opportunity to turn and actually take one or two touches to get the ball set up. You know, when that kid has time and space and an opening, he’s going to score. He’s a sharpshooter.” Sucher desperately scrambled back toward the goal, but he was too far out. Harman chipped the ball over his head, and it soared into the goal and bounced into the back of the net. “I think everyone thought it was a hand ball and it hit off my shoulder,” said Harman. “I just took a touch and hit it and when it went in, everyone started celebrating. It felt so great. I feel like we really accomplished something this year and it feels great to do it with my teammates.” It was an implausible ending to a contest that didn’t really have much action. Avon entered the final having scored 72 goals on the season, but the Eagles were unable to solve the tight Kings defense. “They were so well-organized defensively,” said Dore. “I knew that they were going to be very difficult to break down. They were just so well-organized and hard-working. I think before (Sunday) they had only given up seven goals, which is ridiculous.” The teams only combined for seven shots on goal during regulation play, with Sucher and Avon keeper Oliver Dobrovic being tested just a handful of times. Early in the second half, Dobrovic made a diving save to his left on a low bullet, and just past the midway point in the second half, Kings had an open shot from about 15 yards that was deflected over the goal by an Avon defender. But those were the exceptions. That is, until the overtime period. With the wind at their back, the Eagles turned up the pressure. About 90 seconds before the game-winner, Sucher was forced to make two saves back-to-back, as London Carnie put a header on goal, and then Grady Kramer had his shot on the rebound tipped over the goal. “"(They) definitely gave us more confidence," said defender Logan Fitchko of Avon's multiple shots on goal. "You could feel the energy rising from our team. We knew we were going to score in that moment, in the next couple minutes. That's how it happens." When it finally did happen, it was the culmination of a season that saw a team grow tremendously, physically and otherwise. It’s still a relatively young team, with six of Sunday’s starters being underclassmen. But Dore said it was the growth of the team as a whole and the seniors in particular that turned the Eagles from last year’s successful team that struggled internally to this year’s group of state champions. “I feel we had a rough season last year,” said Dore. “It might not have shown in the record, because going into the tournament we had almost the exact same record as this year. But we had a lot of growing up to do, a lot of maturing. I think they matured and they also were aware of some of the obstacles that were standing in our way last year. We were very individual-minded last year. “We also played a lot of freshmen and sophomores last year. In high school sports, it’s very difficult to have a great year when you’re fielding mostly underclassmen versus teams that are fielding mostly upperclassmen. I believe that they grew in their maturity, and that’s what really turned it around for us. We became top-heavy in terms of class, and they grew up.” And won a state championship.