WILMINGTON, Ohio -- The Heidelberg University Men's Lacrosse team emerged victorious in a thrilling double-overtime match at Wilmington on Saturday. The Student Princes tied the game in the closing seconds of regulation, survived a frantic Quaker surge at the end of the first overtime, then found the golden goal in double overtime to win, 8-7.
Heidelberg improved to 5-10 overall, 1-6 in the OAC.
Closely contested throughout the game -- with neither side amassing more than a one-goal lead -- Heidelberg led, 6-5, with less than five minutes to play. The Quakers equalized with 4:20 left, then took a 7-6 advantage with 2:47 left.
Coming out of a timeout with 1:13 left, Heidelberg had several good looks at the tying goal as the closing seconds ticked away. Wilmington, desperate for their first conference win since 2018, got a big save from their goalkeeper but the rebound was controlled by HU. In the final 10 seconds,
Colin Parker drove to his right, knifed back into the middle and scooped a shot that beat the Quaker keeper five-hole. The goal, Parker's 15th of the season, forced overtime.
Wilmington put a flurry of activity in front of freshman
Sean McGee, making his first collegiate start, late in the first overtime. In the final five seconds, McGee stopped a shot and a second bounced off the crossbar.
The Quakers controlled the draw to start the second overtime, but quickly turned the ball over.
Dante Coffman darted between two defenders down the right wing and pushed a pass to
Malachai Davis behind the cage. Artfully, he found Kaivan Jones in the slot. Jones took the pass and side-armed a shot into the top corner of the net. The game-winner touched off a dogpile that was equal parts joy and relief, having just snapped a tough stretch of losses marred by near-misses and injuries.
The Jones goal also secured the first career win for McGee, who played well in his first start. He made 13 saves.
Mario Manzardo and Jones both finished with three goals on the day. Parker had three assists before his heroic goal. Jones added 10 ground balls.
The win was HU's first sudden-victory win since 2017.
The season concludes on Tuesday with a game at Capital. The contest was originally scheduled for Wednesday at home, but lingering flood damage to Hoernemann Stadium precipitated the alteration. The game will start at 7 p.m.
