RIVERBANK -- The sun had disappeared 20 minutes earlier, but Rafael Ramirez could still see the outline of the ball as it approached the goal.
As he dove to his right, guessing the ball might go that way, he could faintly see the ball soar high over the bar.
Moments later, Riverbank's goalie was mobbed by teammates and hundreds fans as the Bruins celebrated a 2-1 win over Delhi and a trip to the Sac-Joaquin Section Division 4 final.
It went to penalty kicks after it was tied at 1 following 80 minutes of regulation and 20 minutes of overtime.
Riverbank (19-2-2) and Delhi (12-2-2) each converted four PKs in the initial round of five, forcing virtual sudden death. Ramirez came out of the goal to convert the Bruins's sixth kick.
He returned to the goal line for Delhi's last chance, diving to his right in anticipation. The ball went to his left, but was much too high to worry about.
"PKs, it's not so much about skill as it is luck," said Ramirez, in goal the last two years when the Bruins lost in this semifinal round. "It's all so fast."
Delhi's Isaias Cervantes and Riverbank's Armando Rodriguez swapped first-half goals, and Delhi sweeper Erik Tapia made sure it stayed tied by turning back attack after attack.
Riverbank faces top seed West Campus of Sacramento (18-2-2) Saturday at noon at Lincoln High. West Campus beat Linden 2-1.
To see video of the penalty kick round of Riverbank's semifinal victory, visit
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