Sudden death overtime.
The Lausanne boys varsity soccer team and St. George's had battled in the Division II-A state championship game for 107 minutes and 15 seconds.
Play came to a sudden halt when one of the Gryphon players laid in the middle of the field. The sun and time had caught up with him as he was cringing in pain with leg cramps.
As hard fought as the game had been and as intense as the rivalry has historically been between the two schools, Lausanne junior Lucas Drumond '18 didn't even hesitate. He walked directly across the field, pulled the St. George's player's foot to his own chest and began stretching him out. It was a perfect example of the sportsmanship Lausanne student-athletes embody and will forever be one of the many memorable moments frozen in the minds of all who watched this classic game.
Both Memphis-area teams were coming into this game with 2-0 semifinal wins. The Lausanne held Knoxville Webb scoreless the day before and St. George's had the shutout over ECS.
Less than 24 hours later, the Lynx and Gryphons stepped onto the field at Richard Siegel Soccer Complex to play the biggest game of their seasons.
Lausanne struck first with 17:58 left to play as freshman Kelvin Borges '20 put the ball in the left corner, assisted by senior Gabe Castro '17, giving the Lynx a 1-0 lead.
It wouldn't be until the second half that St. George's would get on the board. Just 13:39 into the period, the Gryphons got a head on the ball off of a free kick for the goal, tying it up 1-1.
It would be a scoreless game for the remainder of regulation. And the first overtime. And the first half of sudden death overtime.
With just a five minute half of sudden death OT to play, the urgency to score could been seen on both team's faces. It was now or onto a shootout to determine the state champion.
As the ball bounced off a St. George's defender and the Gryphon goalie out of position, the game seemed to turn to slow-motion. Lausanne's Castro rebounded the ball with just 53 seconds remaining and struck the ball toward the right corner of the net.
Goal. Game over. State Champions.
The blue and gold section of the stands erupted. The bench cleared and the Lynx players on the field all sprinted toward the senior who had just scored the winning goal, giving Lausanne our first ever state soccer title.
Lynx goalie Matt Kelly '19 had a huge game with 7 saves on St. George's 23 shots on goal, while the Lausanne offense had 30 shots, forcing the Gryphon's keeper to make 11 saves.
In his fourth year as Lausanne's head coach, Rogerio Lima added a fifth state title to his successful Memphis-area coaching career, leading the Lynx to an 18-2-2 season.
This championship gold ball has come home and is the third to be placed in Lausanne's trophy case during the 2016-2017 school year, along with a Knowledge Bowl Championship.
Cross-town rivals, competing for the state championship, in sudden death overtime. Players, coaches and fans dream about these games, and yesterday our Lynx soccer team's dream came true.
#HistoryWitnessedAgain
Enjoy pictures of the state championship win over St. George's.