In the end The Heights, playing in front of a boisterous home crowd in Potomac, came away with a 3-2 win. Senior Jason Agwamba’s late goal off a chaotic corner kick lifted the Cavaliers (13-0-1 overall, 7-0-1 WCAC) past the Falcons (7-2-4, 4-1-3), who had just scored a game-changing goal of their own.

“I told this team I was looking for resilience today,” Cavaliers Coach Colin Gleason said. “If we give up the ball, if we give up a goal, how are we going to respond? And I think they responded with some energy and some fight.”

The Cavaliers and Falcons entered the match perched atop the WCAC standings, both undefeated in conference play. In many ways, the teams mirror one another. Both coaches said earlier this season this was the most experienced roster the program ever possessed. The Falcons have 16 seniors and the Cavaliers have 13.

“A lot of us have been playing together so long, having gone to the school since before high school,” The Heights senior defender Lawson Weeldreyer said. “Those connections are so strong.”

Both programs are pushing for the top seed in the conference tournament, which begins in two weeks. The WCAC does not recognize a regular season champion, meaning everything rides on six days of bracket-based bedlam.

“I have no idea what to expect in the tournament. I’ve learned to not set too many expectations,” Gleason said. “All we can do is just get our guys ready. This league is wacky, and everybody is playing hard right now.”

Tuesday’s game carried emotional importance for the Cavaliers, who saw each of their last two seasons end in penalty kicks against the Falcons in tournament play. Riding that hope for revenge, the Heights came out with a visible eagerness and scored on their first real look at goal. Junior Edward Iriarte played a nifty back-heel touch to sophomore forward Enzo Sosa, who sent it home two minutes into the match.

The Falcons answered quickly, senior defender Robbie Greshman leveling the game in the sixth minute. From there the two teams settled into a tense, physical match. Iriarte gave the home team a 2-1 lead with 27 minutes remaining, poking in a cross.

“We were just trying to find ways to attack and keep the pressure up,” Iriarte said. “Good things happen in the box.”

The Cavaliers held their lead into stoppage time, but just as the home crowd was waiting for a final whistle, the Falcons found a goal against the run of play. Good Counsel junior midfielder Christian Gjoni ripped a ball through the Cavaliers’ back line to tie the game.

With stoppage time being kept on the field, both teams were mostly unaware of how much of the match remained. The Heights, hoping for a chance to respond, pushed ahead and earned a quick corner. Agwamba, a big and powerful center back, muscled his way into space inside the box and tapped the ball in to earn his team a dramatic victory.

The Cavaliers are two results away from an undefeated regular season, but Gleason maintains the program is not overly focused on its record.

“[The players] probably want to [finish undefeated] but I hope that I’ve coached them to want to just be the best we can in the next opportunity we have,” Gleason said. “The high school season is short and simple. The idea is to spend two months working to be your best when the playoffs arrive.”