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The Daily

Junior Darwin Jones (right) scored the game-winning goal for the Huskies against Southern Methodist on Friday in double overtime. 

Jones helps Huskies to double overtime win

For almost 105 minutes, it seemed like this was not the Washington men’s soccer team’s day. The UW’s numerous shots just didn’t fall as a Southern Methodist team hungry for an upset beat back attack after attack from the No. 5 Huskies. But the Mustangs could only hold out for so long, and when they made their mistake, Darwin Jones pounced. A junior transfer, Jones swung his left foot at Josh Heard’s cross five minutes into the second overtime and connected, beating SMU keeper Jaime Ibarra and giving the Huskies (6-0-2) a dramatic 2-1 victory. “It wasn’t a pretty game,” head coach Jamie Clark said. “Today they decided to go direct. We put it right back down their throats for the better part of 70 minutes there at the end.” After more than 70 minutes of relentless pressure, Heard’s left-footed cross found its way to Jones, who was open in the box after a defender slipped. Jones deposited the ball into the bottom corner of the net, sending the Huskies to another win. “I knew I had to get my run into the box because the coaches are always on me about that,” Jones said. “The one time I break my neck to get into the box, I got into the cross and finished it.” Although the Huskies dominated the match, outshooting SMU 28-6, the Mustangs got on the scoreboard first. In the 22nd minute, right back Damian Rosales found the ball at his feet in the box and blasted a shot on goal. UW keeper Ryan Herman deflected it off the crossbar, but Andrew Morales was there to turn home the rebound. It was the first time the Huskies have trailed this year. “The beauty is the guys on the field never gave up, and they pushed and persevered,” Clark said. “It was the first deficit we’ve faced all year, so it was nice to see that we can show a little resilience.” The UW finally got on the board right before halftime, with the chance coming off a throw from senior Michael Harris. He fired the ball into the box from the right sideline, and it bounced around until it found freshman Mason Robertson, who headed it back across goal and into the net. It was Robertson’s second goal of the season and the fourth assist for Harris, whose signature flip-throw has been a lethal weapon for the Huskies this season. “It gives us extra chances to score and mentally beat down on teams,” Harris said. “A lot of teams don’t really like to defend it. It’s a good mental edge we have over teams.” In the second half, the Huskies were able to effectively dictate play, outshooting the Mustangs 14-2 in the period. Star freshman Cristian Roldan nearly found the net with a fantastic half-volley, but his effort was equaled by Ibarra’s diving save. A few minutes later, James Moberg almost gave the Huskies the lead. After settling a bouncing ball in the middle of the field, he drove forward and rocketed a shot that hit the crossbar and bounced over. With time running out, Robertson forced a turnover in the midfield and took possession. Ahead he found Jones, whose last-ditch attempt was blocked by an SMU defender to send the game into overtime. The UW’s onslaught continued in the first overtime period, as the Huskies had a few more good chances on three shots. Moberg nearly won it with a great individual effort, but his shot from just outside the box was tipped over. It seemed like the Huskies were due for their third draw of the season, but Jones found his way into the box to finish off the victory for the Huskies. It was an especially important victory for the UW given what’s on tap. Next week, the Huskies begin Pac-12 play with a vital pair of games in the Bay Area, first Thursday against Stanford, then Sunday against No. 2 California. “It was a huge win,” Clark said. “This coming week will be as hard a week as we’ll ever see. Stanford will be primed and ready to go, and then couple that with one of the best teams in the country. To be honest, those are teams we’ve beaten over the last couple years, so we have confidence we can go down and do it.” Reach reporter Daniel Rubens at sports@dailyuw.com. Twitter: @drubens12
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