FRISCO, Texas – Because of summer school, Pateadores U18 forward TJ Casner only had one chance to leave a mark on this week’s Development Academy Playoffs.

On Monday, he did that and then some, as his two second half goals led Pateadores to a 3-2 win against the heavily favored Vancouver Whitecaps, securing a vital three points for the 2011 U18 National Champions.

“If I can’t be around for the rest of the playoffs, I wanted to help my team and give them the best shot as possible at making the finals even though I won’t be able to help,” Casner said.

The game couldn’t have started off better for Pateadores, as midfielder Casey Macias scored off a corner kick under a minute into the game. A curled in-swinger wasn’t cleared by the Whitecaps, and the ball found Macias alone at the back post to smash home.

However, the lead wouldn’t last long, as the crisp and potent Whitecaps attack, led by midfielder Bryce Alderson, continually unlocked the Pateadores back line after the opening goal. A little more than five minutes after going down a goal, Ben Mckendry got on the end of a loose ball at the top of the back and fired home past Pateadores goalkeeper Connor Gaal.

After scoring, and with the kickoff temperature of 102 degrees clearly leaving its toll on the players, the Whitecaps took control for the remainder of the first half. Five minutes before the break, Ben Fisk was first to a loose ball after a great stop by Gaal, slotting it into an empty net to give the Whitecaps the lead.

“It was a game of momentum shifts,” Pateadores head coach George Larsen told TopDrawerSoccer.com after the game. “The first 20 minutes were up and back by both teams, we came up scored in the first minute and a half on a set piece, didn’t take them long to equalize and then back and forth for a little bit. I think they got a real hold of the game in the last 20 minutes of the first half where they had most of the ball, we were just kind of trying to survive.”

After getting to the half down that goal, Larsen knew something needed to change – but he also wanted his players to have the confidence and belief that they could compete and overturn the deficit.

“We told them at halftime being down that if we don’t believe we can come back then we don’t deserve win and we shouldn’t even be here,” he said. “So let’s act like a team we can win and believes we can compete here.”

A tactical shift at the half also helped, as the team switched from a 4-4-2 to a 4-3-3. That allowed them to keep pressure on the Whitecaps, and the Canadian side was unable to assert its control in the early stages of the second half.

Chances remained scarce for Pateadores for a large chunk of the second half, however, and when Roberto Escudero failed to convert a one-on-one against Whitecaps goalkeeper Callum Irving, it almost looked like Pats wouldn’t be able to find a way to get it done.

With summer school looming on the horizon for the Clemson-bound Casner – the team’s leading scorer in the Academy – Larsen knew he needed a big day from one of his best players.

“I told him in the lobby today that I wanted three games worth of goals today, so I said I wanted a hat trick,” he said.

And over the final 20 minutes of the game, Casner delivered. The equalizer came when Casner ran onto a diagonal ball into the box, and he juked past the defender and beat Irving.

The goal gave Pateadores new life.

“Once I scored that goal, we had brand new energy,” Casner said. “Despite the conditions, we knew we had it in us to finish and we finished out the game with a win.”

That was also secured by Casner, but thanks to the hard work of Macias, who chased down a stray ball near the end line in the final minute of stoppage time. When the ‘Caps were slow to react, Macias curled in a cross that just eluded the head of Vancouver defender Jason Van Blerk and found Casner, who had time to settle the ball and poke it home, sealing the three valuable points.

The victory leaves Pateadores even at the top of Group 2, tied with Weston FC, which also won its first game 3-2 on Monday. The road ahead is far from easy for Pateadores, but Monday’s dramatic win leaves them sitting with a fighting chance to clinch a possible Finals Week spot in Houston.