Firebirds Fall 2-1 in Double-Overtime Heartbreaker to League-Leading NYIT

OLD WESTBURY, NY – The University of the District of Columbia men's soccer team suffered a heart-breaking, 2-1 double-overtime road loss to the East Coast Conference standings leader, NYIT on Saturday afternoon.

Junior goalkeeper Louis Connor (Health Education – Birmingham, England/Arthur Terry School) made a season-high 10 saves, including five in the second half to send the game into overtime, tied 1-1. He left the game nearly five minutes into the first overtime session and was replaced by sophomore Ever Alvarez (Electrical Engineering – Woodbridge, VA/Woodbridge Senior HS), who surrendered the game-winner to NYIT's Carlos Coto at the 104:49 mark, nearly halfway through the second overtime session.

Junior Elio Hernandez (Elementary Education – Germantown, MD/Northwest HS) initially put the Firebirds ahead, 1-0 just minutes before halftime when he chipped in a cross from sophomore Felix Angerer (Business Management – Bayreuth, Germany/Graj Minster Gymnasium Bayreuth). UDC took that 1-0 lead over the ECC's top team into halftime.

Almost four minutes into the second half, however, Dominic Iovino's low corner shot off of a pass from Alberto Ruiz beat Connor for the game-tying goal. Connor went on to stop the next five Bears' shots on goal, and UDC managed only one shot on goal as regulation came to an end with the score still tied, 1-all.

The Firebirds, who were playing in their second consecutive overtime game on the road, managed very little offensively in the first overtime session as NYIT outshot UDC 4-0. Still, Connor stopped both the Bears' two shots on goal before exiting the game to be relieved by Alvarez, and the two ECC foes headed to overtime No. 2 still tied, 1-1.

Nearly halfway through the second overtime session, Coto blasted a shot from 15 yards out to beat Alvarez and finally break the tie after nearly 105 minutes of play.

The Bears improved to 9-1-1 overall and 5-0-1 to stay atop the ECC standings, while UDC dropped its second consecutive league game, both double-overtime losses, to fall to 7-6-1 overall and 3-4 in the ECC.

The Firebirds will look to bounce back as they close out the season hosting three straight conference home games beginning with Daemen on Saturday, October 25^th at Sidwell Friends School.