READING, Pa. - (Oct. 20, 2010) [Courtesy of Albright Sports Information] - With just over a minute left in the first sudden victory overtime period, Arcadia's
Nick Morris (Philadelphia, PA/Father Judge) sent in a perfectly placed corner kick to the far post where it met
Jeff McDonald (Philadelphia, PA/Father Judge), who then drove it the back of the Lions goal to give the Knights a 3-2 Commonwealth Conference overtime win Wednesday evening in Shirk Stadium.
The game-winner was McDonald's fourth of the season and first game-winner. Leading up to the overtime thriller was solid back and forth play by both the Lions and Arcadia (8-7/3-2 CC). Going into the match Albright (9-6-1/1-3-1 CC) knew that their postseason dreams depended on the outcome of Wednesday's contest.
Going into the second half, Albright held a 2-1 advantage over the Knights. Tying the match in 49th minute was David Jacobs (Havre de Grace, MD/Havre de Grace), when he capitalized on a rebound in the Albright goal box. Despite the then game-tying goal, the Lions did not let down. Led by junior Mark Yost, Albright continued to pressure Arcadia's defensive third.
Throughout the final 45 minutes of regulation, Albright had their chances to retake the lead, but was just unable to capitalize. In what has become a trademark of Yost this season, the Mohnton native connected on two massive free kicks to initially give Albright a 2-1 lead in the first half.
Prior to Yost's first goal of the night, Arcadia broke the scoreless draw in the 23rd minute, when Joe Clementi (Meddord Lakes, NJ/Shawnee) redirected the ball past Albright goalkeeper Phil Jones. Teammate Joe Bagnall (York, PA/Dallastown) dropped the ball in over the Lions defense just as Clementi sprinted into the box. Clementi then pushed the ball to the far post, to give his squad the 1-0 lead.
However, the Knights did not get to long to celebrate the score, as Yost connected on a 45 yard free kick to tie the match at 1-1 less than two minutes later. Playing a major part in the play was Chris Tadley who briefly obstructed Arcadia's Ryan Lantzy (Pheonixville, PA/Pheonixville), allowing the ball to bounce over his head and into the back of the goal.
Tied at 1-1, Yost got another crack at goal just eight minutes later. This time from 35 yards out, Yost absolutely crushed the ball to the upper corner to give the red and white the 2-1 advantage.
On the night, both teams totaled 14 shots through the near 99 minutes of play. Arcadia put eight of their 14 shots on goal, while Albright recorded six shots on target.
Jones, who was making his first start against a conference opponent, came up with five saves. Lantzy tallied three saves for the Knights to earn his seventh win of the season. Arcadia also led the match in corner kick opportunities with six, while Albright managed four.
The Knights, who hold the third position in the Commonwealth standing, return to league play this Saturday, hosting current fourth place team Lebanon Valley College at 3 PM in Glenside. The Knights, two points ahead of the Dutchmen in the standings, can put some distance between them and the Dutchmen with a victory on Saturday.