The rubber match went to the South Warren boys’ soccer team, which outlasted Bowling Green 2-0 in the District 14 tournament Wednesday at Warren East High School.

South Warren (8-6-5) got two goals during a five-minute span in the second half to advance to Thursday’s District 14 title game and earn a spot in next week’s Region 4 tournament.

“I’m really proud of our guys,” South Warren coach Tom Alexander said. “They did not like the way we played the last time we played them and felt like we had something to prove. Bowling Green is a great team. They are well coached. They are well organized. Any time we get in a game with them we know it is going to be a hard game. Most importantly is now we get to move on. We get to go to the region tournament and that was one of our goals to start out the year.”

The teams split in the regular season, with Bowling Green rallying to win the last meeting 2-1 in overtime Sept. 21. It looked like the two teams were headed for another overtime after battling to a stalemate for the first half and most of the second half.

The Spartans finally broke through in the 64th minute, getting a break when BG keeper Ivan Markovic got the wind knocked out of him when he took a cleat to the ribs. With Markovic down in pain, Eldin Velic fired a cross to Orlando Gil, who finished it off for a goal to make the score 1-0.

Sadmir Bahic provided some insurance five minutes later, scoring on a free kick from 40 yards out.

“Right when I hit it I knew it was a good connection,” Bahic said. “When I landed, my calf started cramping. It was awful (but) it was happy pain somehow.”

That would be enough for the Spartans, who were able to shut out Bowling Green for the second time this season. South Warren outshot Bowling Green 17-8, with a 6-4 advantage in shots on goal.

“I’m extremely proud of how good defensively we were,” Alexander said. “Our midfielders and forwards tracked back defensively well and we had some pretty decent counters, too. I thought we were a little unfortunate not to score earlier than that, but a district game – the goals always come later.”

It wasn’t all good news for the Spartans, with freshman Luie Kogetsu suffering a wrist injury in the final minutes.

“I hate that for Luie,” Alexander said. “He’s been a huge part of what we do. He’s such an important player for us. He’s such a smart player. I hate for him to be injured like that, especially on a play I thought was a reckless foul and there wasn’t any need for it. I hope that he is OK.”

Bowling Green coach Scott Gural said it was a difficult loss for his team.

“We came out at halftime and we were just flat,” Gural said. “Some of that was South Warren stepped up the pressure and we didn’t respond well to it. Hat’s off to them. There is an old adage that you can tell a well-coached team by how they play in the second half. They beat us in the second half, so they get to keep playing.”

The loss ends Bowling Green’s season with a 6-10 record. The Purples have advanced to the region tournament since at least 2000. KHSAA.com stats only go back to that season.

“It’s frustrating, but every year is a new season and nothing is guaranteed,” Gural said. “Just because there is a legacy there doesn’t mean they get wins next year. We worked hard. We are trying to bridge some gaps and make up some lost ground. It’s disappointing for the seniors to go out this way, but everybody in the state loses their last game except for one team.

“Bowling Green has been fortunate twice to be in that situation where their last game was a win. We’ve got some work to do to get back to that point.”

South Warren will face top seed Warren Central at 7:30 p.m. Thursday with Alexander facing off against Dragons head coach, and good friend, AJ Ray.

“Me and AJ have known each other for a long, long time,” Alexander said. “I’m proud of what he has done and how he has built that program up over there. I’m proud of our guys for battling through all this and getting there. It’s always fun playing against your friends, but we are playing to win. Me and AJ probably won’t talk until next week or so.”