Sports victories come in basically three varieties. There's the humdrum in which a team is expected to win. There's the good victory that comes against a worthy opponent. And then there's the great. The victory that's savored for years to come, and often never forgotten.

At about 5 p.m. on Feb. 9, the San Jacinto boys' soccer team rejoiced in their biggest win of the season over a most worthy foe. It was a hard fought Mountain Pass League 2-1 victory over the visiting Citrus Hill Hawks.

Let's set the stage: The Hawks trotted on to the Tigers pitch as the No. 1 ranked team in California Interscholastic Federation (CIF) Southern Section Division 6. They had run roughshod over their Mountain Pass foes, carving out a perfect 9-0 record. And the Hawks are the reigning CIF Division 6 playoff champions.

A good team? Certainly. Great? Definitely flirting with that classification. But on this day, the Tigers – ranked No. 8 in Division 6 – were better.

After the referee blew his final whistle, the Tigers dog piled in celebration, and doused their coach David Kubotsu with the traditional water cooler shower.

And his smile said he didn't mind at all.

"This win means a lot to us," he said. "It's a great win for us."

But it was also a win that seemed improbable late into the match with the Hawks holding a 1-0 lead on a goal by Miguel Garcia- Rosas with six minutes left in the first half. And it appeared his goal would be enough to enable the Hawks (9-1 MPL, 18-4-2) to go undefeated in league play.

But Francisco Copado came to the rescue. He made a huge play that turned the Tigers' fortunes around. With about three minutes left in the match, Copado raced down the middle of the field toward a loose ball about 20-yards in front of the goal. Citrus Hill goalkeeper James Camacho charged out from his line after the ball.

But he interfered with Copado, causing a collision that sent the Tigers forward sprawling. The referee awarded the Tigers a penalty kick, and Ismael Morales calmly stepped up to the penalty line and drilled the ball into the lower right corner of the net, tying the game.

But if not for Copado's hustle, the goal never would have happened. "Without his run we don't score," Kubotsu said.

Morales' goal clearly reenergized the Tigers. With less than two minutes to play they cranked up the pressure dial. And it paid off as Christian Rwiyaza shocked Citrus Hill with a game-winning goal with about a minute left.

"I got a pass on a break away on the right sideline," Rwiyaza said about the beautiful, on target pass from Oscar Hernandez. "I saw the goal keeper coming out, so I knew I had to shoot it right away or I would miss my chance."

Rwiyaza sent the game-winner into the lower right corner and was immediately dog piled by his teammates. The Tigers defense then denied the Hawks any possibility of a comeback ove r the final seconds of the match.

What does this win mean for the Tigers who had won the league last season?

"It feels great," Rwiyaza said.

"It's the greatest feeling ever. We wanted it bad."

And it's a win in which the Tigers feel some vindication. In the first meeting between the two teams, the Tigers lost 1-0. It was a match they believed they should have won.

"We played them at their place and felt like we dominated, like in this one," Kubotsu said. "It feels good to get something you deserve."

In their second meeting, San Jacinto outshot Citrus Hill, 19 to 17, and the Tigers keeper, Sinclair Inclan, stepped up to stop 10 shots on goal.

The Tigers finish the regular season, claiming third place in the Mountain Pass with a 5-2-3 record, 12-5-5 overall behind second-place Beaumont (7-3 MPL, 15-7). Now comes the CIFSS Division 6 playoffs.

And Kub ot suexpects the Mountain Pas s to be well represented.

"Our league is strong and plays some of the best soccer in the (Riverside) county," he said.

"Citrus Hill was the wild card after finishing fourth in our league last year and they won (the Division 6 championship). I foresee Citrus Hill, Beaumont and us doing well in the playoffs.

I wouldn't be surprised if one of our teams won again."

The Tigers opened the playoffs with a wild card match on Tuesday, hosting the Riverside Notre Dame Titans of the Mountain Valley League (0-7-3, 12-7-3). See related story on page 15.

The Tigers 2011-12 roster includes: Sinclair Inclan, Gabriel Alejos, Marco Olvera, Jairo Paz, Craig Myers, John Leyva, Henry Garcia, Agustin Rivas, Eduardo Aguilar, Oscar Hernandez, Jesse Zuniga, Alejandro Arellano, Brayle Zuniga, Ben Lozano, Pedro Esparza, Alex Blancas, Christian Rwiyaza, Chase Myers, Ismael Morales, Jose Rubio, Daniel Martinez, and Francisco Copado.