SANFORD — In a match-up of two teams desperate for a win, Thornton Academy came out on top. The Trojans broke a 2-2 halftime tie to win 5-2 in a hotly-contested SMAA boys soccer game at Cobb Stadium on Thursday.

The Spartans (1-7-1) got the first shot of the game, as Evyn Nolette missed high 2:30 into the game, but Thornton had chances of its own in the box but couldn’t connect.

The Trojans (2-6-2) finally broke the ice near the midway point of the first half, as Eric Gooch fed the ball to Dalton Moore to the left of the goal, who in turn found Liam Eisenhaur at the right post for a re-direct into the back of the net.

The Spartans answered just over two minutes later, however, when Nolette sent a low shot from the right side past Thornton goalie Logan Gailitis off of a corner kick by Mitch Duncan.

“We answered right back. That’s good to see that,” said Sanford head coach Brian Desrochers.

Sanford then took the lead five minutes later, as Tanner McFarland sent a through-ball up the middle and Earl Fall out-muscled Thornton’s Myles Gamage to beat Gailitis with a shot.

Thornton tied the game back up with seven minutes to go, as Darius Nytacyo converted a penalty kick after Jorge Diez Alvarez was held by his jersey while trying fight for the ball.

The Trojans nearly took the lead six minutes into the second half, but Jimmy Parks blocked a point-blank shot from Noah Niles.

Thornton did take the lead less than a minute later, as Paul Arabatzis won possession of the ball in front of the net off of a direct kick from 25 yards out from Tyler Lebel and quickly blasted it into the open net.

The Spartans did all they could to get the equalizer, as they constantly pressured a Thornton defense that was down two starters and had freshman Hayes Estrella in goal after Gailitis was injured just before halftime.

“Great play from the defense. It was a little patchwork, but they all rose to the occasion,” said Thornton head coach Andy Carlson.

“We just couldn’t muster up anything offensively against them,” said Desrochers. “They really shut us down. They cleaned it up well back there.”

The bounces just didn’t go Sanford’s way in the second half, highlighted by a Nolette shot off of a corner that found the chest of Thornton’s Jacob Hale, who was standing on the goal line.

“Basically that’s been how the season is going; we just can’t catch a break,” said Desrochers.

The Trojans got some breathing room with less than 14 minutes to go when Eisenhaur scored off of a direct kick by Nytacyo.

Even with the deficit increased, the Spartans’ offensive pressure increased as well, but again to no avail. Parks and McFarland both put perfectly-aimed direct kicks on net, but Estrella made leaping saves both times.

“We called on Hayes, and he stepped right up there. The guys had confidence in him, and he had confidence in himself,” said Carlson.

The Trojans put the exclamation point on their victory with five seconds left, as Alvarez blasted a shot from the left side of the penalty box into the lower right corner of the net.

“It was a big win,” said Carlson. “We’ve struggled all season, and we’ve had a couple tough weeks here that there were some games that I think we were the better side, and we just couldn’t get a positive result.

“At times, maybe it wasn’t the prettiest soccer we’ve played all season, but it was definitely the most effective.”

— Staff Writer Wil Kramlich can be contacted at 282-1535, ext. 323. Follow him on Twitter @WilTalkSports.