LAKEWOOD, Colo. (Tribune News Service) — The buzzer sounded. It looked like Air Academy had lost. Instead, the most unlikely of victories thrust the Kadets into the 4A boys’ soccer championship game.

This 3-2 overtime stunner late Wednesday was simply unbelievable, right down to the game-winning shot off the foot of senior Turner Grow — his first goal of the season, because this script that played out at Jeffco Trailblazer Stadium wouldn’t have allowed for anything else.

“I just let it fly,” said Grow, a senior defenseman and team captain. “It went in the back of the net. It was the best feeling I’ve ever had.”

At the end of regulation, the third-seeded Kadets fell behind 2-1 with 1:24 remaining on the clock. They had been playing a man down for the final 20 minutes after a red card and No. 2 Battle Mountain finally capitalized.

As the final seconds counted down, Air Academy earned a corner kick. It rushed to get it off and a hand ball was called inside the box as the game seemingly finished. After a pause for a discussion, Ben Brown took a penalty kick and tied the game as time again, but this time officially, expired on regulation.

“I don’t know, you never know,” longtime Kadets coach Espen Hosoien said. “I’ve been around this sport long enough to know you never know. We just hoped for a little bounce here, little bounce there.

“Good things happen to good guys.”

The Kadets had taken a 1-0 lead in the 35th minutes on a goal from Noah Kostanian Urvik in the 35th minutes when the ball squirted loose in the box after a corner kick.

Battle Mountain tied it in the 58st minute, and a short time later came the red card that left Air Academy playing with 10 the rest of the way.

When Huskies junior Carlos Ventura then scored with 84 seconds left and Battle Mountain, with the lead and the man advantage started playing keep away, it looked like the Kadets’ season was finished.

But a through ball set up an attempt and the corner kick and the craziness ensued.

Air Academy (15-1-2) will face top-seeded Mullen (15-2-2) in the championship game at 6:30 p.m. Friday from the Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC’s Weidner Field.

“It just shows you have to play to the last whistle,” said Grow, who took off his shirt in celebration of his game-winning goal on a blustery night. “We may not have had the most possession, but I know our guys had heart and fought and the end result went our way.”

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