Palo Verde’s Jonathan Villanueva was trying to transition back to defense when he looked up and saw a long pass sailing his way.

Villanueva waited for the ball to bounce, settled it and put a shot inside the near post with 90 seconds to play to lift the Panthers to a 2-1 home victory over Las Vegas High in the Class 5A Southern Region boys soccer semifinals on Wednesday.

“I was actually going to drop down, and I saw the ball in the air,” said Villanueva, a junior midfielder. “And so I turned around and quickly went, and I saw the ball coming down. I tried to control it and I just covered the ball, turned and shot it.”

Most of Palo Verde’s players had moved toward the offensive end of the field as the Panthers (13-3-3) made a final push late in regulation. Las Vegas cleared the ball, but

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