HEPBURNVILLE - It seems like every time the Athens and Troy boys' soccer teams meet up the game comes down to one defining moment.
The two are as evenly matched as can be and for a team to win it usually takes one player to step up and carry his squad.
In the regular season they met three times, each team winning once and the two teams tying the third time.
The fourth meeting between the two had a little extra meaning as they squared off Tuesday in the District 4, Class AA quarterfinals.
For 80 minutes no one was able to break through and the scoreless game headed into overtime.
In the opening minutes of overtime both teams looked like they wanted the defining moment for themselves.
First it was T.J. Glisson coming up with a save on a Troy scoring chance, then it was Brooks Johnson getting a scoring chance for Athens that was deflected out of bounds.
Minute by minute ticked off the clock until just 7:23 remained and that's when Johnson found his moment to shine. His chance to deliver that defining moment as the Wildcats won, 1-0.
A ball was fed into the box and Athens' Mark Wright went airborne to challenge Troy goalie Justin Fitzwater for the ball.
Neither player came away with the ball, and Fitzwater hit the turf as Johnson scooped up the loose ball and put it into the empty net to give the Wildcats the victory.
"I'm just excited," Johnson said. "It was pure adrenaline, I saw the ball and I just shot it. I knew right away that I was going to get a shot off and all I could see was an empty net."
As Troy's players screamed for a call, Johnson waited to see if the goal would stand up or not.
"I was waiting," Johnson said. "It's tough to wait, but then I saw the official stop the clock and signal goal."
For Athens coach Jake Lezak it was a great ending to another classic battle against Troy.
"Mark and their goalie went for a 50/50 ball and they both missed on it," Lezak said. "They had two defenders who were trying to clear the ball and Brooks came in between them and put it in the back of the net.
"It's been back and fourth between the two teams all season. We met four times and there were times I thought we got the better of them and times I thought they got the better of us. It was a good game."
On the Troy side Fitzwater thought that he was going to get the call, but he also thought it was a perfect shot by Johnson.
"I was receiving the ball and he hit me and the ball came loose," Fitzwater said. "Brooks got to the ball and he just played a really good shot. I'm really proud of the team. We played well today and all season long."
Fitzwater wasn't sure on the final play if he should go out or stay back and in the end he knows the Trojans got beat on a good shot.
"It was definitely hard to lose like that," Fitzwater said. "It was a hard decision on whether I should come out and I did and the ball found its way to Brooks and he hit a great shot for them."
For the Wildcats it was a bit of déjà vu as they won a district playoff game in overtime last season at Balls Mills on a goal by Eric Bull.
"Overtime for us, we are getting used to," Lezak said. "It was our fourth or fifth overtime game in districts and I think it was our fifth overtime game this year."
For Athens players being in overtime is something they are used to.
"It's not that stressful, we have a lot of confidence," Johnson said.
"Our players just stayed steady and kept their composure," Lezak said.
In regulation both teams had their chances to get on the board.
In the first half it was Nick Pane who got the first scoring chance for the Wildcats as he took a direct kick from just outside the 18 and watched as the kick sailed just over the cross bar.
With 7:15 left in the half Aaron Smith almost put the Trojans on the board. He stole the ball from a Wildcats defender and turned and fired a shot that went just high.
In the second half both teams had their opportunities, but the best chance came 10 minutes in when Fitzwater dove full length across the goal to rob the Wildcats of a scoring chance.
Troy got a chance midway through the half when Geoffrey Debach was dragged down just outside the 18 giving the Trojans a direct kick, but they were not able to convert.
One minute after the direct kick, Debach drove in and fired off a shot that Glisson saved and with 15 minutes left Pane nearly found the net again.
The Wildcats took a direct kick from just off the foul line and Pane ran in and redirected the kick in front of the net, but it went just wide of the far post.
Athens had six shots and four corners in the game and Troy had four shots and no corner kicks. Glisson finished with four saves for Athens and Fitzwater had five saves for the Trojans.
Despite the loss, the Trojans are happy with what they accomplished this year.
"We definitely had a good season," Fitzwater said. "We came out this year not really expecting a great season and every NTL team we played we did well against. It was a really good year."
The Wildcats will now travel back to Balls Mills at 7 p.m. on Thursday to take on Central Columbia in the district semifinals.
"I'm very excited, I can't wait to play Central Columbia," Johnson said.
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