All it took was a long throw in that dropped in front of the Douglas net Tuesday night for the South Tahoe boys' soccer team's playoff hopes to get a whole lot brighter.
In that same moment, the Tigers' hopes got a little dimmer.
Tahoe's Kevin Green slipped in unmarked behind the Douglas defense to tap in a long throw from Cody Williams, giving the Vikings the go-ahead goal with just under 10 minutes left for a 3-2 win in Minden.
It was a play helped immensely by the narrow field dimensions at Douglas' football field, where the Tigers have been playing the majority of their games over the past three seasons.
"That's what happens on this field," South Tahoe coach Chris DeLeon said. "It's so narrow that every throw-in is basically like a corner kick. Cody Williams had a nice throw and Kevin Green scored it. He was just at the right place at the right time.
"It was a must-win for both teams. We've had so many ties, we really needed a win here tonight."
The game further muddled an already cloudy playoff picture in the highly-competitive Sierra League.
Douglas, Fallon and South Tahoe will enter their final two games separated by two points in the standings.
The Vikings picked up three points on both Fallon and Douglas on Wednesday. Fallon, which tied the Vikings 1-1 on Saturday, lost to Carson 3-1.
South Tahoe is sixth at 4-5-3 with 15 points and has games remaining at home against Damonte Ranch on Saturday and at Carson on Tuesday.
Fallon is fifth at 5-6-1 with 16 points and has matches left at home against Wooster on Saturday and on Tuesday at Douglas.
Douglas still holds the fourth-and-final playoff position but precariously. The Tigers are 5-5-2 with 17 points, but must play at Carson on Saturday and conclude the season Tuesday vs. Fallon in Minden.
Bishop Manogue and Carson are guaranteed spots in the regional tournament, while Galena is virtually assured a postseason berth.
South Tahoe can make the postseason by winning its final two matches, while Fallon and Douglas don't win more than one of their remaining matches. The Vikings and Tigers could also finish in a deadlock for fourth at 6-5-3 if South Tahoe wins its final two games while Douglas collects a win and a tie.
Under the final scenario, the Tigers and Vikings would likely meet again in a play-in game before the regional tournament.
Douglas coach Milko Vasquez said his team simply will need to step up over the final two games to control its own destiny.
"South Tahoe just wanted it more tonight," he said. "They got an early lead and they wanted it more than us. We only came back on some set plays. There was nothing in terms of organization for us. The small space is problematic for us as a team. I don't know what it is, but we haven't been able to play well on this field this year."
Tahoe got on the board in the eighth minute on a header from Williams and extended the lead to two barely two minutes later on a Kory DiGrande shot from just outside the penalty box.
"We didn't really make any changes (from a loss earlier this season to Douglas)," DeLeon said. "It was just heart. It was all about finishing tonight and we didn't have any huge mistakes."
Douglas got on the board in the 26th minute when Cole Cline feathered the ball outside to Edgar Arceo on a breakaway and Arceo sent in on the ground to the far post. The play was set up on a long clear from Brian Randall.
They tied the game in the 53rd minute when Cline played a corner kick in front and Arceo put it in.
"Cole gets two assists, Edgar gets two goals, Brian sets up a goal - these are guys I expect to step up," Vasquez said. "We need more people to step up with them.
"Tahoe came in with the same notion we had, needing to win this game, and they executed."
DeLeon said the match was one of the best he's been a part of this year.
"It was just a great game by both teams," he said. "A lot of heart, a lot of action. The fans on both sides got their money's worth."
