NEWTON, Mass. – Freshman Alexi Flores (Central Falls, R.I.) broke down the right side of the field just 1:45 into overtime and perfectly placed a lob shot that nestled in the back corner of the net to earn Mount Ida a well-deserved and exciting 2-1 overtime victory over visiting Johnson & Wales University in Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) men's soccer action on Saturday afternoon at Alumni Field.
Mount Ida earned their second victory against Johnson & Wales in the last three years while getting the better of the defending conference champion Wildcats in a rematch of last year's GNAC semifinals game, which Johnson & Wales won 1-0 in Providence en route to the title.
After a scoreless first half, the Mustangs took the lead in the 77th minute when freshman Juan Brenes (Santo Domingo, D.R.) rocketed a shot into the top corner of the goal for his third marker of the year.
That lead was short-lived, however, as just two minutes later, the Wildcats levelled the score when freshman Byron Arboleda (Pawtucket, R.I.) nodded home a corner kick off the foot of fellow first year Teagan Drake (Waterbury, Vt.).
It took just 1:45 into the extra frame for Jordain Williams (Colchester, Vt.) to float a pass into Flores behind the Wildcats defense and the speedy freshman pocketed his second goal of the year to the delight of an impressive Open House crowd.
Mount Ida sophomore Riley Ford (Guilderland, N.Y.) made 11 saves to earn the victory, while JWU senior Nick Tolman (Poughkeepsie, N.Y.) took the loss, making one save and allowing the game-winning goal in just 2:31 minutes of action.
Tolman replaced starter Jon Robbins (Berkeley Heights, N.J.), who made eight stops before exiting in the final minute of regulation.
The match was evenly contested, with each team earning seven corner kicks, though the visitors had a 25-18 shot advantage, buoyed by a 12-6 edge in first half attempts, when the Mustangs did well to escape in a scoreless draw.
Mount Ida (5-2-1, 2-0-1 GNAC) runs their winning streak to four games and continues a three-game homestand with a non-conference affair on Wednesday night when they host Wheelock at 7:00 pm.
The Wildcats have now dropped three of their last four games, and will also play out of conference next when they travel to Springfield at 7:00 pm on Tuesday.