Brady Kouchoukos knew exactly what to do when the ball connected with his foot.
He had done it before.
Once he received the pass from Marty Lacerte, it was simple collect and shoot, and then celebrate.
His goal cemented Coe-Brown’s 3-2 overtime win at Bow on Thursday afternoon in a game the Bears never led in until the last whistle was blown.
Let’s backtrack.
The Bears were down, 2-0, after a pair of goals from Bow forward Colby Smith in the 52nd and 72nd minutes. With time dwindling and not many of its chances on the successful side, Coe-Brown picked up its pace of play and aggression by stopping balls and calling out directions on the pitch.
The comeback started after Lacerte sent a shot in from the left side of the field that went past goalie Kyle Martin’s hands and into the back of the net. Nearly two minutes later, the Bears scored their second of the game and forced the overtime period.
Coe Brown’s bench stormed the field with excitement as if it had somehow won the World Cup. Meanwhile, Bow slouched and hummed with disappointment.
Ten minutes passed and neither team found the back of the net, which prompted more of the same reaction as the Bears once again cheered while the Falcons stewed.
The final 10 minutes of play began, and it looked like Bow was going to manage to ruin Coe-Brown’s comeback attempt. Smith and his teammates were awarded two penalty kicks and both were stalled by strong saves from keeper Waylon Walker.
A rogue throw-in from the Bears had junior forward Adam Ludwikoski charge up the right of the field where he centered the pass for Lacerte and then dumped it over to Kouchoukos for the game-winner.
Kouchoukos, who scored the overtime game-winner against Merrimack Valley the day before, ran around the field and anyone who claimed Coe-Brown as their team cheered until players began to walk toward the bus.
“Whenever I get out there, I just try to make the most out of every opportunity,” he said.
The Bears are one of the hottest teams in Division II as of late, winning four out of their last five. If there was a time to get the wins rolling it’s now, as the regular season is coming to a close and the playoffs are approaching.
“You can hear what that means to them,” coach Christian Gompert said while his team celebrated around him. “They work really hard, and they’re such a great group of guys. If the outcome went either way, I would’ve been proud of them.”
Coe Brown’s final four games of the season feature teams that are all over the place in the standings like undefeated Milford and winless Manchester West.
Bow, which has been on a bit of a downward trajectory after losing its last two games, looks to get back on track against Pembroke next week.