NEWTON, Mass. – For the third time this season, Mount Ida College emerged victorious in overtime of a Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) men's soccer contest, and their 3-2 victory over Norwich University on Wednesday afternoon at Alumni Field ensured that the Mustangs would be home for at least the first round of the conference tournament which begins next Sunday, November 2nd.
Nick Vreeland (Berlin, Conn.) scored his second game-winner of the year to help Mount Ida improve to 10-4-1 (6-1-1 GNAC) and overtake Norwich (10-5-1, 6-2 GNAC) in the conference standings while ensuring a top-four finish for the year for the first time since 2008.
This marks the first time since the 2004 season that Mount Ida's men's soccer team has recorded double-digit victories.
Vreeland slammed home his second goal of the year on a feed from Jordain Williams (Colchester, Vt.) six minutes and thirty-eight seconds into the first extra period to deliver the thrilling victory, which looked out of reach for a moment when Norwich came from a goal down to take a 2-1 lead with less than seven minutes to play in regulation.
However, it took less than three minutes after Norwich took that lead, on a nifty goal by Colin Lozito (Wilmington, Vt.), for Mount Ida senior Carlos Martinez (Chelsea, Mass.) to knot the game back up at two goals apiece with his fifth goal of the season.
After a scoreless first half in which the Mustangs were outshot 11-9 and got four saves from sophomore goalkeeper Riley Ford (Guilderland, N.Y.), the home team need just 2:05 to get their noses in front when freshmen Alexi Flores (Central Falls, R.I.) and Juan Brenes (Santo Domingo, D.R.) hooked up. Flores threaded an incredible through ball between two Cadets defenders and Brenes ran onto it and slotted it past Norwich freshman Stefan Skoff (San Jose, Calif.) for his team-high ninth goal of the year.
The Cadets levelled in the 63rd minute through freshman Matt Mazzola's (Ridgefield, Conn.) first collegiate goal, which he ripped past Ford, who ended the game with ten saves. The assist came from freshman Ethan Melia (Shrewsbury, Mass.), who played Mazzola the ball from the left side.
With both teams battling to get their noses in front, Lozito looked to deliver the win late for the Cadets, wrong-footing Ford on a touch shot on a feed from junior Jacob Zimmerman (Litchfield, N.H.). It was Lozito's second goal of the season.
Martinez saved the Green and White's hopes when he took a pass from Brenes, who had made a run down the left side of the field and tucked the ball up high under the crossbar to level the teams to the delight of the home crowd.
Vreeland's game-winner in the first extra period lifted Mount Ida to 3-0-1 in overtime games this season.
Skoff ended the game with four saves and fell to 10-4-1 on the season, while Ford improves to 8-4-1 between the pipes for the Mustangs, who have now beaten Norwich in back to back regular seasons.
Mount Ida finishes out their conference schedule on Saturday afternoon when they host rivals Lasell College at 2:30 pm. Mount Ida will also celebrate their seniors with a ceremony before the game.
Norwich heads to Saint Joseph's Maine on Saturday at noon in a GNAC tilt that will go far in determining seeding for the postseason.