Reese Tovar has made the dramatic something of a habit this season. Heading into her team’s Class 3A state quarterfinal against Maple Grove Tuesday, the East Ridge junior forward had already delivered three-game winning goals, including both her team’s scores in a Class 3A Section 4 semifinal victory over Woodbury. None of those, though, came with as little time and as much on the line as her game-winner with nine seconds to go against the Crimson — a goal that lifted the second-seeded Raptors to a thrilling 1-0 victory at White Bear Lake High School. “It’s all about the want and the need,” said Tovar, whose team (15-1-2 overall) advances to meet the winner of today’s quarterfinal between No. 3 seed Edina (11-1-5) and unseeded Duluth East (16-3) in the semifinals at 10 a.m. on Oct. 29 at U.S. Bank Stadium. “There’s a time and a place. When the game is so dramatic, and there’s such an eagerness to win, it gets you fired up. And when your teammates come through, that obviously helps a lot.” That happened Tuesday when Tovar took a pass from senior midfielder Elle Wildman as time wound down in regulation and booted the ball into the net. “I was just talking to myself about how we needed a goal,” Tovar said. “I knew the next time I got the ball I was going to smack it. “What a pass from Elle,” she added. “When the ball touched my foot, I knew I was going to slam it bottom right. And what an experience. We’re going to the semis at the Bank. It’s so exciting.” Perhaps more exciting when you consider that Tovar was not supposed to be in the game at that moment. With three minutes to play, East Ridge coach Latcho Kostadinov sent freshman forward Kya Crowley in for Tovar. But Crowley picked up a yellow card almost immediately, meaning Tovar had to return. “Everything happens for a reason,” Kostadinov said. “No matter how bad the situation looks, you have to make the best of it. I put Kya out there because Reese was getting tired. “She goes in, and unfortunately, she was called for the foul, got a yellow card and had to come out. So Reese was the person to go back in.” In the back of his mind, the head coach said he was wondering if Tovar could generate magic again. “When you look at the bench, you’re trying to figure out what player can go in and change the outcome of the game,” he said. “You have to keep in mind who did what in previous games. “This was the time. We knew she could step up, and we had Elle Wildman there to deliver her the ball. Those two are just great players playing together.” Maple Grove had the better chances in the first half, including a high, booming shot on which East Ridge senior goalkeeper Isabel Oferosky made a well-timed, leaping save. But the Raptors ramped up the pressure after halftime, and the Crimson — who were battling injuries to key players — couldn’t regain the momentum. “Against a team that doesn’t give up goals, we just didn’t have the juice or the players to make that final push,” said Maple Grove coach Ben LeVahn, whose team finished 14-3-2 overall. East Ridge did, and thanks to Tovar, they are headed to the state semifinals where she stands ready to deliver more dramatics … but hopes she won’t need to. “Hopefully, we can score some goals sooner,” she said. “Game-winners are exciting and all. But it would be nice to score a little earlier so we can relax.”Related Articles High School Sports | Girls soccer state quarterfinal: Triplett goal paces Eagan past Lakeville North