Jadiel Bomfim gets hugged by teammates as the Nashua South boys soccer players celebrated his game-winning goal with 29 seconds left against rival Norrth in the Division I semifinals on Monday at Stellos Stadium. (Telegraph photo by TOM KING)

NASHUA – Sometimes the game of soccer, like life, is all about second chances.

Just ask Nashua High School South’s Jadiel Bomfim, whose first swipe at the ball with regulation time winding down in Monday night’s classic Division I semifinal against city rival Nashua North at Stellos Stadium was stopped by Nashua North keeper Yazid Poolakal.

The ball bounced off the turf at Stellos Stadium’s Motta Field back to Bomfim, and he this time no one was between the ball and the back of the net for the game’s only goal with 29 seconds left and a 1-0 South win before a loud crowd of about 1,500

Bomfim saw teammate Max Lopez move the ball down into the corner and then off the goal line, and his eyes lit up.

“I watched him take the ball, we practice that a lot,” Bomfim said. ” I had the shot, (Poolakal) made the save, and then I got the second chance and put it back in the net.

“It’s always a tough game with the Battle of the Bridge. We’re in the finals now.”

Yes they are, as the Panthers will be taking their 17-0-1 record into Friday night’s championship game at Stellos at 7:30 against No. 3 Hanover, which beat Manchester Central in the seventh round of penalty kicks in the first semi.

It almost looked as if this one would be headed there too. South hit the crossbar or the post a couple of times in the first half – one looked like a sure score but hit underneath the bar and pinballed out — and North had a ball go off of South keeper Leo Kopico ‘s fingertips and hit the bar in the second half. The Titans were buoyed as usual by striker Caua De Freitas, but in the second half a gutsy Preston Thompson came back from aggravating a previous ankle injury in the first half and also caused havoc down right wing.

“First half I thought we really good chances,” Bellen said. “We hit the post three times, there was a point blank save. In the second half they leveled it out, they had a nice one off the bar as well.

“Listen, Nashua North (9-10) is solid. I actually think they’re going to be here next year, where we are, in the finals. They’ve got a lot of talent, they’re not losing much. Hats off to them, they’re a good team; not the typical 12 seed you want to face in the Final Four, let’s put it that way.”

Add to that the rivalry, and the Panthers got the challenge they were anticipating. They only beat North by the same 1-0 margin during the Battle of the Bridge Week some six weeks ago — on a Bomfim goal.

“I felt like the game was ours,” De Freitas said. “We played a helluva game, everybody did good. (Final) Four as a 12th seed, I’m proud of us.”

He had a golden chance staring right at Kopico after a defender fell down in the right corner, but De Freitas rushed the shot and hit the side of the net.

“Unlucky,” he said. “But so proud. We worked our butts off.”

“We came out a little timid at first,” North coach Josh Downing said. “I felt we outplayed them the second half. I think they got tired, and my guys weren’t. It’s a phenomenal group of kids, and it sucks to be honest with you.

“It’s (South) a Nashua team, a lot of them are my former students. I wish the best for them. At the end of the day, they’re 2-0 against us, but we’re not far away.”

North lost one of its best defenders, Estevan Arango, as he got woozy after a collision late in the game. A couple of minutes later,the Panthers began their run. “They’ve been crossing the ball the whole game,” Downing said. “We had our chances, too. Anytime the ball’s bouncing around the 6 (yard-line), it’s dangerous.”

Especially if Bomfim is close by. The Panthers have a flair for the dramatic ,as they won their quarterfinal over Exeter with seven ticks left in double overtime.

“When it hit five minutes left, I was thinking, ‘Oh no, not another overtime,'” Bomfim said with a grin.

That was a repeat experience he wanted no part of, so he did something about it.

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