By RYAN ARENA

Sports Editor

40 minutes were not enough to decide the clash between St. Charles and St. Thomas Aquinas on Saturday.

But St. Thomas Aquinas would not need much longer to secure the win. It scored the winning goal in the match’s 41st minute, during stoppage time, and held on for a 2-1 victory at St. Charles.

“They’re a really talented team,” St. Charles Coach Rick Woodroof said. “Physically, after the first half, we were just drained. I still think it was a good showing for us.”

The Comets have sustained a rash of injuries in recent weeks, limiting the team’s depth. Against STA, it caught up with them, as the SCC starters wore down late in the game.

The Comets’ Peter Lambert-Oswald tied the game before halftime with a late first half goal.

It was only the second time in the last six games that the Comets have allowed a goal – each in a loss.

St. Thomas Aquinas has now won four straight games.

Woodroof said that with only two games in the next two weeks, his team should have some time to heal.

But the Comets’ district play will open on Thursday, as the Comets will travel to Riverside to play at 7 p.m.