As the cross flew into the box, Bobcat goalkeeper Borja Angoitia took a shot at the ball. His attempt however arrived a second too late, as the header from Mount St. Mary’s Jimmy Ockford deflected off Angoitia’s hands and into the back of the net for the game winner in double overtime, 2-1, Sunday at Waldron Family Stadium.
The goal came in the 106th minute of play as Quinnipiac (5-7, 3-3 Northeast Conference) surrendered its third straight loss in conference play to fall into eighth place in the NEC.
The Mountaineers (7-6-1, 4-3 NEC), playing in their last regular season home game, came out firing as they outshot the Bobcats 13-2 in the first half. But one of those two Quinnipiac shots turned into a goal as junior Philip Surprise scored his team-leading fifth goal of the season.
Less than two minutes into play, the goal was setup by a high bouncing pass outside the box from senior Durval Pereira. Surprise beat two defenders down the field and stuck his foot out as he caught up with the ball. His shot just made it over the outstretched arms of Mountaineer goalkeeper Peter Steve for the early 1-0 lead.
The Quinnipiac advantage didn’t hold for long however as Mount St. Mary’s capitalized on a deflection. In the seventh minute, after streaking upfield with possession, Mountaineer midfielder Ian Hendrie’s pass attempt into the box was broken up by the Bobcat defenders, but the ball landed three feet away from Hendrie as he quickly regained possession, crossed to his left foot and found the back of the net for the equalizer.
The score remained tied throughout the remainder of the first half and for the entire second half. Quinnipiac secured their defensive play after allowing 13 shots in the first half, as Mount St. Mary’s recorded just four in the second.
In addition to the shot disadvantage, the Mountaineers also generated seven corner kicks compared to just one for the Bobcats.
The Bobcats had their chances in the first and second overtimes, registering three shots before the ultimate game winner from Ockford.
Quinnipiac looks to break its losing streak on Friday as the Bobcats take on Central Connecticut State on the road.
