Sometimes you outplay a team and lose. Sometimes you get a bounce that goes your way and you win.

The second option feels a lot better.

Down one goal with 20 minutes left in its season, the Bishop Hendricken boys’ soccer team found the game-tying goal on a shot by freshman Chukwudi Onyejose that made its way through a crowd and the second when an Onyejose cross turned into a South Kingstown own-goal, giving the Hawks a 2-1 win over SK, sending them to their first semifinal since 2009.

“Soccer is a cruel game and that happens in so many games where the team that dominates and has so many more opportunities than the other team can't score for the night,” Hendricken coach Michael Rooney said. “That was going through my mind a little bit.”

“It's kind of cool to think that we can come back and win,” Onyejose said. “That's what they did back in SK. They came back and beat us.”

The Hawks' chase for their first state title since 1998 continues tonight when they play North Kingstown at Johnston High School at 8 p.m. It's the team's first semifinal since 2009 where it lost to Chariho, making this the biggest game the program's seen since.

“The hardest game in any tournament is the semifinals because everybody wants to get to the final and once you get to the final it's 'we had a good season' or 'we made it to the final,'” Rooney said. “The semifinal, no matter who we play … It's going to be another challenge and we just hope we're up for it.”

Hendricken nearly lost Monday even though it was the better team by a landslide. The Hawks beat the Rebels in every facet of the game for the first 60 minutes except the scoreboard.

That's when Onyejose – whose brother Chukwuma makes up the other half of the terrific duo that will torture Division I opponents until they graduate in 2018 – finally got the goal he was denied in the first half. His right-footed rocket from 20 yards out somehow avoided the traffic between he and the bottom right of the net, sliding by SK keeper Nick Laudati to tie the game with 16:03 left.

“I knew he was going to shoot that, but it did surprise me,” said Chukwuma of his brother's goal. “I thought the goalie was going to save it.”

“I already knew it was going in,” Chukwudi said.

No one knew the game-winner was, and they'd be lying if they said as much.

Coming down the right side – a common sight in the second half – Chukwudi put a cross through the box to teammate Lucas Gesmundo but the pass missed its target.

Instead, it ran toward the bottom left of the goal. South's Nate Gates tried to clear it but struck the ball awkwardly and it slid past Laudati to give the Hawks a 2-1 lead with 2:40 left in the match.

“When you whip that ball across the 6-yard box and it goes across the mixer, anything can happen,” Rooney said. “The goalkeeper can drop it right to a guy standing right next to him, the defender is running right to his own goal and he can't let the ball go, so what does he do? Unfortunately it was an own-goal, but those are good balls you put in there.”

“If you're going to lose, you don't want it to be on an own goal,” SK coach Scott Rollins said, “and when you're not playing very well.”

South didn't play well. The Rebels were at nowhere near the same level when they beat Hendricken 3-1 in SK on Sept. 29, but it didn't matter Monday because SK converted the one chance it had when Michael Gross knocked in a rebound to give South a 1-0 lead 9:54 into the match.

From there it was all Hendricken, sparked by terrific play in the midfield and even better play up front by the Onyejoses. While the freshmen don't have the most physically intimidating presence on the field, their combination of speed and ball skill make them a constant threat. The two brothers possessed the type of play-making skills the Rebels couldn't match and it wasn't a surprise that on every strong scoring chance Hendricken had, Chukwudi and Chukwuma were somehow responsible.

“I feel like I'm part of the team, bringing that life into the game,” said Chukwuma, who when told he was credited for the goal, laughed and said “They do that sometimes. They get us mixed up.”

There is no mixing up the situation for Thursday. The Hawks face a North Kingstown team they tied at home, a program that has won a title more recently but not with any of the players on its roster.

“You just take it game by game, play really well,” Chukwudi said, “and you won't lose.”