Pacers Rally for Wild, 5-4 Double-Overtime Win
Christian Lawlor scored two goals, including the overtime game-winner, in Saturday's game at Alfred.

Pacers Rally for Wild, 5-4 Double-Overtime Win

Men's Soccer - 9/8/2012 9:37:00 PM

Box Score

Alfred, NY – Christian Lawlor's second goal of the game early in the second overtime period gave Marywood University a thrilling, 5-4 win at Alfred University in a wild, non-conference men's soccer game on Saturday afternoon.  Ryan Jones also scored twice as the Pacers rallied from a 4-2 second half deficit while playing a man short to improve to 2-1-1 on the season.
 
Marywood opened the scoring on Saturday in the 17th minute when Daniel Lopez drilled home a one-time shot from 16 yards to the far post for his first collegiate goal.  The Pacers' lead was short-lived though when Alfred's Tony Gai curled in a well-taken free kick from 20 yard to level the score at one-apiece in the 19th minute.
 
The Pacers restored their one-goal lead in the 34th minute when Lawlor skimmed a header off a long-throw in from Daniel Hull past the Saxons' goalkeeper for his first tally of the season.  Alfred equalized just two minutes later when Frankie Mannino headed in corner kick served by Gai.  The Saxons claimed a 3-2 lead in the 36th minute when Gai scored on a penalty kick after a Marywood foul in their own box.
 
The Pacers chances to come away with a result took a turn for the worse just 1:34 into the second half when a Marywood player was sent off after the referee determined that he had deliberately prevented a goal with a handball.  Tai converted the ensuing penalty kick to complete his hat-trick for the Saxons and push their lead to 4-2.
 
Trailing by a goal and playing down a man, the Pacers showed resilience and cut their deficit in half in the 58th minute when Jones scored on a long range free kick, bending a 45 yard shot from the sideline over the hands of Alfred's goalkeeper and into the upper corner of the net.
 
Marywood then earned a penalty kick of their own in the 75th minute as Brandon Ritter drew a foul in the Saxons' box.  Jones stepped up to the line and blasted home his spot kick for his second goal of the match which tied the score at 4-4.
 
The rest of regulation and the first overtime passed by without a goal despite several dangerous opportunities at both ends of the field, setting the stage for Lawlor's heroics.  Early in the second overtime frame, Hull collected a ball near the right corner and served a cross into Alfred's goalmouth that Lawlor nodded down into the back of the net to complete the Pacers' thrilling, comeback win.
 
Shane Quinn made eight saves in Marywood's goal to earn his first victory of the season.
 
Marywood returns to the pitch on Wednesday evening when they play host to Haverford College in a non-conference game scheduled for 7:00 p.m. on the Pacers' Turf Field.
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