Ripon got the go-ahead goal from senior Leo Barrera with less than three minutes to go and hung on late to beat Hilmar 2-1, likely clinching a spot in the postseason for the first time in 10 years on Monday night at Wes Stouffer field.

The two teams finish in a four-way tie for second place with Orestimba and Ripon Christian in the Trans-Valley League. Hughson is the outright league champion.

“I feel so proud to have scored there for my school and for my teammates, especially on senior night,” Barrera said of his late winner. “The goalie made a good play and punched it right at my feet, and I just knew I had to put it in the back of the net.”

The late goal was not the last of the heroics from Barrera. After breaking the 1-1 tie, Ripon (5-3-4 TVL, 11-11-4 overall) needed to defend for what seemed like an eternity to protect its lead.

An onslaught from Hilmar (5-4-3, 8-6-6) forced several close chances, none closer than the final play of the game. Hilmar lobbed a ball into the box that fell to the feet of Yellowjackets midfielder Blake Vitorino, who fired a shot that was immediately deflected by both Barrera and goalkeeper Deegan Robles before bouncing off the post.

The final whistle blew immediately after the play, sending the Indians back to the postseason.

“What a game, I’m just so proud of our guys,” Indians coach Jose Montes said. “It has been a long time coming for this group, and they played well enough to win against a very good side tonight.”

The first 25 minutes of the game saw each team controlling an equal share of the ball, but finding very little in the way of chances. Defenders Richard Langenfeld, Cameron Dumlao, and Armando Ayon made key plays in the defensive half to keep starting goalkeeper A.J. Rivera relatively unscathed early on.

With 15 minutes left in the first half, Ripon won a free kick just outside the box. After a brief discussion, senior Alejandro Prieto stepped off the ball and allowed freshman Kalvin Martin to take the kick. Martin did not look like a player making his first career varsity start, as he stepped up confidently to the ball and sent a screamer into the back of the net, freezing the Hilmar goalkeeper.

“They decide that play themselves,” Montes said of his players decision in who was going to take the free kick. “A lot of the times there, we go with the hot hand, the player playing well, and Alex did a great job of trusting Kalvin in that moment.”

The goal was the lone tally in a highly physical first half. Rivera racked up four of his six total saves to keep the Indians in the lead going into the intermission.

In the second half, Hilmar would show the quality that had them atop the Trans Valley League standings coming into the night. Controlling more possession, the Yellowjackets earned a free kick in the attacking half with 15 minutes to go. Brian Cuevas put a ball into the box that found the head of a Hilmar player and bounced directly to Vitorino who beat Rivera to knot the score at 1-1.

“They are a great team, and I was really proud of the way our team fought back,” Hilmar coach Louie Bettencourt said. “I thought we really pressured them in the second half and could have come up with more than we did.”

Three minutes after allowing the lone goal to Hilmar, the senior Rivera was forced to leave the game due to injury after colliding with a Yellowjacket player in the box. It was next man up for the Indians, with their season on the line they turned to Robles.

“Immediately, I was nervous seeing A.J. go down,” Robles said. “I just jumped up, got ready to go, and knowing it was senior night, I was just so hyped to go in and wanted to play as hard as I could to help my team win.”

To say he helped his team win is an understatement. Robles came up with six massive saves down the stretch to preserve the victory for Ripon.

“I couldn’t be happier for Deegan,” Montes said. “Our goaltenders split time 50-50 so we were not surprised at all when he came in and we did not miss a beat. They have had a friendly competition all season long, and it was fitting both were so instrumental in getting us this win tonight.”

Ripon will await their postseason match-up later this week.

Junior Varsity

Ripon 2, Hilmar 1

Diego Radia and Kevin Eppich scored a goal each in Ripon’s victory.