Men’s Soccer wins home opener with golden goal

After battling stormy conditions late Wednesday night, the men’s soccer team was able to claim a 2-1 victory over 25th ranked Saint Xavier University. The win was the result of a Bernardo SantAnna golden goal in the second overtime.

The Pilots came out very aggressive and confident in the first half as they grabbed a quick lead with Joao Couto’s score off of a Gerardo Carrera corner in the tenth minute of play. The Pilots then went right back to work controlling the time of possession. Several minutes later it appeared Bethel had taken a 2-0 lead; however, the goal was ruled off due to an offside call. The Cougars then built some momentum early in the second half as they were able to tie the game at 1-1. Nevertheless, both teams would be called off the field shortly after the game tying goal due to lightning in the area. After the storm had passed both teams took a quick warm up and prepared for the last 29 minutes of play. The last moments of regulation were intense for both teams, but neither team was able to collect a go-ahead goal. As a result the Pilots went into two ten minute golden goal overtimes. In the first overtime, a Saint Xavier player was sent off with a red card for an aggressive slide into a Bethel defender. Then, in the second ten minutes of overtime Bernardo SantAnna was able to put the ball into the back of the net with an Eduardo Fernandez assist. This gave the Pilots a strong start to the season as they toppled the 25th ranked Cougars by a score of 2-1. The Pilots will again be in action Saturday August 27 as they host Aquinas College. The game is set to begin at 3:00 p.m. and is labeled an exhibition.