After giving up the lead twice in regulation, senior midfielder and captain Derek Hoerman found the back of the net for the Spartans with seven minutes to play in the first sudden death overtime period to give the Spartans a 3-2 victory over the Fort Zumwalt East Lions. Hoerman’s goal secures a place in the class 3 district 6 final against rival Francis Howell North Thursday at 6 p.m.

“It felt fantastic [to score the winning goal],” said Hoerman. “Even more so because I played horrible for the majority of the game.”

The goal was assisted by sophomore forward Brett Hodges who beat the Lion defender and passed the ball to Hoerman, who was approaching from the wing.

The Spartans had jumped out to a 1-0 lead ten minutes into the first half with a goal by junior midfielder Steven Rozycki. Lion forward Jordan Swindle tied the game with a goal six minutes later.

The game would remain scoreless until 18 minutes to play when junior midfielder Matthew Martindale scored a goal to put the Spartans up 2-1. The Spartans kept control for most of the remainder of regulation, but Zumwalt East midfielder Cody Elmendorf scored with three minutes left to tie the game at 2.

The winner of the North-Central game will move onto the sectional stage in the state tournament.