NEWBURGH, N.Y. – Senior midfielder
Chris Marchese (Cold Spring, N.Y.), fresh off his Skyline Men's Soccer Player of the Week recognition, scored the game-winning goal with five seconds left in double overtime to give the Mount Saint Mary College men's soccer team (10-4-1, 7-1 Skyline) the 3-2 victory over The Sage Colleges (7-6-1, 5-2 Skyline) Tuesday evening at Kaplan Field. The win clinches the Skyline Conference regular-season title and the top seed heading into the Skyline Conference Championship tournament for the Knights.
The skies opened up at the start of the second overtime, and the Knights and Gators battled in the pouring rain for the final 10 minutes of the game. After the clock stopped on a free kick for the Knights with 11 seconds remaining, sophomore midfielder
Matt Minniter (Mahopac, N.Y.) found the ball and sent it wildly into the box from the close left wing. Marchese came out of a scrum with the ball in front of him and a wide open net, and he pushed it with his head across the line to ignite the biggest celebration of the year for the Knights.
Not to be lost in the excitement of the thrilling victory, senior forward
Matt Garcia (Wappingers Falls, N.Y.) scored twice in the second half to tie the game after the Knights fell behind, 2-0, in the first frame. With the two netters, Garcia matched the program's career-goals record of 25, set by Ed Hanley from 1990-93.
Garcia's first goal was set up by a beautiful cross by Marchese from the right wing, followed by a powerful shot past the keeper to the left side to cut the deficit in half at 48:55. In the 66th minute, Garcia scored one of the prettiest goals of the year, bending the ball off the end of his foot around a defender from the far right corner of the box, and right over the keeper's head to tie the game.
Sage's Peter Fabrykiwicz gave the Gators the lead at 11:51 off a feed from Jose Miranda, and then Sage's program points leader, Gustavo Trinidad, doubled the lead at 15:10 after his corner kick was deflected into the net.
Junior goalkeeper
Austin Peluso (Farmington, Conn.) made six saves to pick up the victory for the Knights. TJ Zehner stopped eight shots for the Gators, but allowed three goals to suffer the loss.
Riding high off of an exhilarating victory, the Knights face a tough non-conference test on Friday, Oct. 24, when they host No. 10 Amherst College at Kaplan Field. The Knights' Senior Day celebration will take place moments before the 7 p.m. kickoff.
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