BETHLEHEM, Pa. – Freshman Saul Marcial did not think the Moravian College men's soccer team was fit to be tied again.
The rookie forward found himself alone in the 18-yard box with only the Wesley College goalkeeper to beat seven minutes into the first sudden-death overtime period. Marcial waited patiently to take his shot on goal, and when he did, he gave the Greyhounds a 2-1 walk-off win on Saturday afternoon on the HUB Quad.
Moravian (4-2-2) was down 1-0 for most of the second half after the Wolverines scored in the 51st minute. The Greyhounds forced their third-straight overtime match when senior forward Jeffrey Algor blasted a header into the Wesley net off a Travis Cifarelli cross with only three minutes left in regulation.
"I saw Travis looking up on the wing," said Algor, who scored his team-leading sixth goal of the season. "He served a beautiful ball and I was on a full sprint. The keeper was in perfect position, so the only way I could go was up. I tried to go top shelf and luckily, I buried it."
The remaining minutes ticked off and the Greyhounds entered familiar territory as of late. Their past two games ended in draws after double-overtime periods. After Algor scored, the senior captain saw a change in his team.
"The intensity picked up," Algor said. "We were playing great today, but we changed our formation to a 3-4-3 when we were down 1-0 to pick up the attack. We got what we needed, so it worked out perfectly. The past two games have gone into overtime and each time we tied, so we really wanted to go get that win today. Saul did a nice job finishing it up for us, and luckily I got that header right before the game ended."
After the celebration, a few Greyhound players and coaches were heard uttering the phrase, Better Call Saul, a reference to AMC's hit show Breaking Bad. In this situation, it was in reference to a player who has a knack for goal when his team needs it the most. Marcial's goal was his fourth this season and his second game-winner.
"I'm excited," Marcial said, still panting after being mobbed by his teammates. "All I saw was one-on-one with the keeper. It was my only chance, and I finished. The first thing I thought was, 'I've done it again.' We didn't play the way we wanted to in the second half, but we fought back and got the victory, and that's all that matters."
Junior midfielder Chris Gomez assisted the game-winner in overtime. Sophomore goalkeeper Brian Boland had two saves and picked up his fourth win in net.
Wesley's goal came on only their second shot of the game in the 51st minute. Moravian dominated possession and offensive chances, but still found themselves trailing for the majority of the second half. Head coach Todd Ervin said Algor's goal gave them exactly what they needed to finish the job.
"I didn't think our second half was great until Jeff scored," Ervin said. "After that, we really started putting pressure on them and that gave our guys a sense of belief that we could win today. It really turned the tides back in our favor. It was a great win for us and we showed a lot of perseverance. I don't think they were willing to go through another overtime without getting a win."
Ervin credited the Greyhound central midfield for keeping the ball in the Wesley defensive half for most of the game, which eventually led to two unanswered goals. Sophomores Seth Reynolds and David Tate were the fulcrum of that game plan. Sophomore forward Zachary Klein also contributed with smart touches and precise passing in the offensive third of the field.
Cifarelli, a freshman forward, had an all-around brilliant game, according to Ervin, and received an assist as a small reward for his hard work. The cross to Algor was the freshman's first career point at Moravian.
"Travis played extraordinarily well today," the fifth-year headman said. "It's the best I've seen him play yet since he's been here. It was a great move to get down to the end line, then a great ball into the box. We're thrilled with what he was able to do all day, and serving that ball for our first goal certainly helped."
Wesley fell to 3-3-2 with the loss.
Moravian has one more non-conference match on Tuesday against Bryn Athyn College on the HUB Quad before Landmark Conference play starts in earnest. The Greyhounds travel to Susquehanna University next Saturday for a 3:30 p.m. match, which Algor says will be the beginning of the hunt to return to postseason soccer at Moravian College.
"Everyone understands each other's game, especially now that a lot of freshman are playing a lot of minutes for us," the captain said. "We have the wind on our side and games like these will continue to push us to get those conference wins, because that's what really matters when it comes to getting in the playoffs."
