Nashua South's Santi Somorrostro jumps for joy after his goal in the 77th minute gave the Panthers a win over Manchester Central in the Division I semis Wednesday in Exeter. (Telegraph photo by TOM KING)

EXETER – A simple, common human condition managed to creep its way into what was a superhuman performance on Wednesday by both the Nashua High School South and Manchester Central boys soccer teams in the Divsion I semifinals at Bill Ball Stadium.

Fatigue.

The No. 6 Little Green got tired, and the defending champion No. 2 Panthers managed to hold on to enough energy, scoring three goals in the final three minutes – two by Santiago Somorrostro – for a 3-0 win to reach Sunday’s finals and rematch of last year’s title game with No. 5 Hanover. The Bears beat Windham in the other semi here, also 3-0

“When it started to open up toward the end, guys were getting tired and he (Somorrostro) got some space, created some problems,” South coach Tom Bellen said. “I was asking guys to release the ball earlier, so we could get that matchup quicker, which is how we got the first goal.”

It was an amazing display by both teams if you like up and down soccer, as the main reason there were zeroes on the scoreboard for 76 minutes was the work of South keeper Ansh Khanna and his Central counterpart, Jeyson Lopez, each with a dozen saves on the day – most of the spectacular brand.

But, with nearly three minutes left in regulation, South midfielder Joona Hantula got the ball in space around the 35 yard line, and found an open Somorrostro, who blasted one that Lopez couldn’t reach in the upper corner for the only goal that the Panthers (17-2) needed.

“It was a great run by Joona,” Somorrostro said. “Everybody was up the field, luckily I was there and I had no pressure on me. It was a great ball by him and luckily I was able to finish it off.”

“Joona has been coming up big the last four or five games,” Bellen said. “Starting to get the game better, understand the game better.”

The one thing you had to understand about yesterday’s game was the pace was frantic.

“It was wide open defensively, but it was still fun to watch,” Bellen said, not happy about the number of chances Central (13-5-1) had. “A lot of nerves from my boys today. They were flat. Then they started creeping back, creeping back. We could have buried a couple, they could have buried a couple. The score coud have been 6-6.”

“It was back and forth,” Central coach Chris LaBerge said. “Each team had 25 chances, right. They broke through, and that was the game. But it was just an exciting high school soccer game. I’m disappointed, obviously, but it was a great game.

“We were tired. Like every game, there are going to be spells where you have it. … They had their spell at the right time at the end of the game. We were tired. You go up and down the field, chances all night. Congrats to them, they finished with a nice goal, we had our chances but didn’t take them.”

And if they did, especially in the first half, Khanna would stop them. Both keepers would be flat on the ground making saves in one-on-one situations.

“Those keepers had to be standing up to shots all day long,” Bellen said. “They both had to have 10-plus saves. And tough saves, not easy saves.”

“It’s my job on the field,” Khanna said. “And I think I did it well today.”

Nashua South’s Santi Somorrostro, left, and Manchester Central’s Martin Lubunga keep their eyes on the ball during Wednesday’s Division I semifinals in Exeter (Telegraph photo by TOM KING)

Still, the Panthers were bracing for overtime as bodies kept falling. South lost scorer Sammy Hadouche to a head injury during a corner kick with about 15 minutes left in the game. They also didn’t have center back Cayden Ninteau due to a bad hamstring, and Revin Olsen left late with what appeared to be a cramp. Meanwhile, Central was also shorthanded, with arguably its best player, Junior Mawete, out of the tournament thanks to a second yellow card received in Sunday’s quarterfinals vs. Nashua North.

After Somorrostro’s first goal, the Little Green was cheating up to try to get the equalizer with time running out, and that allowed both Rory Olsen and Somorrostro to pad the lead in the 79th minute.

“They were starting to lose it after the first goal, and we just kept the pressure on,” Somorrostro said. “The through balls kept coming in and the chances kept coming and we capitalized on that.”

And now the Panthers are back in the title game, facing a familiar foe who likely would love nothing more than to avenge last year’s loss. Ironically, Somorrostro was the hero a year ago as a sophomore with his goal in the 11th penalty kick round. It’s not easy to get back there, and both teams have.

“It’s a hard, hard thing to do,” Bellen said. “It’s hard to beat a team that beat you earlier in the year, but to come off the season we had last year, when we had all the hoopla about a national ranking and being undefeated – these guys just fight, fight, fight. It’s the culture they built. I’ve guided them through it, but it’s really the kids now who are driving the ship. Good for them.”