By BAKER ELLIS / Sports Editor

MONTEVALLO – The University of Montevallo men’s soccer Falcons got past conference opponent Young Harris on Sept. 22 in a thrilling, double-overtime game via a 2-1 decision. The win moved Montevallo to 5-1-0 (1-1) and helped the Falcons avoid an 0-2 start in Peach Belt play.

After a scoreless first half, Carlos Gomez of Young Harris broke the stalemate in the 74^th minute of action, which gave the Mountain Lions a 1-0 lead. The lead held for another 10 minutes until, in the 84^th minute, Liam Moore scored his first goal of the night directly after the Falcons had drawn a foul on Young Harris. The goal was assisted by both Austin Petrovich and Oliver Cylkowski, and tied the conference match at 1-1.

Because this was a Peach Belt Conference match, the game could not end in a tie. In the waning moments of the second half, Montevallo’s Arad Lev Ari got off a dangerous shot, but the offering was rejected by Young Harris goalkeeper Anton Viden, and the teams headed for overtime.

In the college game there are two golden goal overtime periods each lasting 10 minutes. If one team scores in either of those periods, the game ends whereas if neither team scores in the additional 20 minutes, the game is decided by penalty kicks. In the first overtime period, Montevallo got off three shots within a three and a half minute span, but was unable to find the back of the net. Young Harris, on the other hand, only managed to get one shot off, but the shot was high and did not trouble the Falcons’ keeper, Robert Kuta, and the game headed to the second overtime period.

In the 107^th minute of action, after Viden had already saved a header offering from Cylkowski, Moore took a long cross from midfield and broke free, beating one Young Harris defender and serving up an offering from outside the 18-yard box, which sunk into the top right corner of the net, giving the Falcons the narrow 2-1 win.