Masuk goalie Justin Swann watches as Bunnell's Brendan Broadbin (in blue) pulls away towards the goal during the start of a second half resurgence. Broadbin's goal was Bunnell's first on the afternoon. (Connecticut Post/ John Galayda )
MONROE — All was well in the cosmos for the Masuk boys soccer team.

Leading scorer John Chernesky had just flicked home a pair of headers a few minutes apart, putting the Panthers ahead four goals in the second half of an important SWC match against Bunnell.

In the span of seven minutes, the stars began to fall out of alignment for the Panthers. First, Brandon Broadbin beat the Masuk defense to get Bunnell on the board. An own goal followed minutes later and then a third Bulldog score after a scrum in the box.

Yet Masuk managed to hang on — barely — and come out on the right side of a seven-goal thriller Tuesday afternoon 4-3. "I don't really know what happened out there," said Chernesky, who added his team-leading 12th and 13th goals of the campaign. "All of a sudden there was just a sudden rush that we had to start playing again."

Masuk (8-2-1, 7-2-1 SWC) took an early lead midway through the first half when Jeremy Neaton was left unmarked on the back post and beat Bunnell keeper Mike Patria. The Panthers doubled their lead inside of two minutes into the second half when Mike McGowan converted a penalty kick after drawing contact from Bunnell captain Matt Lance.

The game looked all but over when Chernesky tallied a free header off a nice cross from the left side by William Franco in the 50th minute and then again from a corner five minutes later.

Seemingly out of nowhere Bunnell (8-3, 6-3) began to mount its improbable comeback at the

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60-minute mark.

It started when Broadbin collected a through ball from Mike DaSilva and beat his marker and Masuk keeper Justin Swann, making it 4-1. Minutes later a Masuk defender headed a ball into Swann's net making it 4-2. "I think panic started to creep in and we just started kicking it away from our goal, which isn't our game," Masuk coach Brian Humpal said.

About 12 minutes before fulltime Lance launched a free kick into the Bunnell area. A.J. Mirafiore got a touch to it and it rebounded off the crossbar onto the foot of Mike Johnson, who poked it over the line.

Before it was over, Johnson was involved in a play nothing short of surreal when he took a long throw-in from the right side that sailed into the Masuk net.

It was reminiscent of former Naugatuck player Brian Mariano's acrobatic throw-in from midfield in the 2001 Class LL final that defeated Westhill and was later nominated for an ESPY award. Yet the refs waved it off since it went untouched on its flight into the net.

"From where I was, it looked like it went off A.J.," said Broadbin, who protested with the officials to no avail.

After a final few frantic minutes, Bunnell had one last chance. Broadbin laid a ball off to Aaron Miller at the top of the box, but Tim McGowan slid in at the last second to scuttle away the shot.

In the first half McGowan had a penalty knocked away by Patria, who finished with nine saves. "You can't get away playing for 30 minutes in an 80 minute game," said Bunnell coach Sebastian Wojdaszka, whose team dropped its third straight. "You'll get punished in any league doing that."

BUNNELL0 3 — 3
MASUK1 3 — 4
Records: Bunnell 8-3; 6-3 SWC; Masuk 8-2-1, 7-2-1
Goals: B — Brendan Broadbin, own goal, Mike Johnson; M — Jeremy Neaton, Mike McGowan, John Chernesky 2; Assists: B — Mike DaSilva; M — William Franco, Neaton; Goalies: B — Mike Patria (9 saves); M — Don Martinelli (2), Justin Swann (4)