Tatsumi's Golden Goal in the Second Overtime Lifts GWU to a 3-2 Win over Appalachian State
October 03, 2012 | Men's Soccer
Boiling Springs, N.C. - Redshirt-junior Satoshi Tatsumi scored the game-winning goal in the 107th minute of the contest, as the Runnin' Bulldogs defeated Appalachian State, 3-2, in double overtime on Tuesday night at Greene-Harbison Field in Boiling Springs, N.C.
The win ends GWU's winless-streak at 11 matches dating back to last season and is the Runnin' Bulldogs first overtime victory since 2006.
Gardner-Webb improves to 1-8-1 overall on the season and posts its first win over Appalachian State, who falls to 4-5-1 on the season, since 2005.
The Runnin' Bulldogs intensity and game plan was a 180 degree change from Saturday night, a 6-1 loss to Radford, as the home team controlled possession of the ball for most of the first half and put pressure on the Mountaineers on both sides of the midline.
GWU's first scoring chance came in the 17th minute, as sophomore Ethan Senger intercepted a pass between two of the Mountaineers backline defenders and took on the ASU goalkeeper Paul West who was able to make a diving safe on Senger's sliding shot attempt.
After GWU goalkeeper Scott Krotee made his second save of the match on a Boubacar Toure shot attempt in the 22nd minute, the Runnin' Bulldogs responded only seven minutes later, as sophomore Denzel Clarke made a touch pass to redshirt-junior Taylor Jordan who lined up a shot off his right foot that hit off a Appalachian State defender and deflected past West and into the top right corner of the goal to put the home team in front 1-0.
The goal was Jordan's second of the season, while the assist was Clarke's first on the year.
A header by Clarke in the 31st minute and a shot off the left foot of Clarke once more in the 33rd minute both sailed high, as GWU continued to control the pace and style of play throughout the first half.
A one-v-one shot attempt by Chris Davis against West was knocked offline in the 42nd minute, as the Runnin' Bulldogs settled with a 1-0 lead at the halftime intermission.
In the second half, the pace of the game changed drastically, as it was the Mountaineers who were pushing the issue on the offensive end and putting the pressure on the Runnin' Bulldogs defense.
Appalachian State tied the match up at 1-1 in the 53rd minute, as Ryan Lavigne received a pass from Sekani Sinclair in a very crowded box and blasted a shot into the net just inside the left back post.
After GWU's go-ahead shot attempts were both blocked in the 55th minute, Appalachian State countered on a blocked free kick by the Runnin' Bulldogs, as Kristian Lee-Him played the ball ahead to fellow teammate Stanley Broaden who got behind the backline of the GWU defense. Broaden then faked a move to the inside, which made GWU's Krotee dive at the ball, and then took one touch and posted a shot into an open net to put the visitors on top 2-0.
Refusing to quit, the Runnin' Bulldogs knotted the score back up in the 62nd minute with a little help from the Mountaineers. Krotee played a goal kick over top of the Appalachian State defense, where junior Chijioke Akujuobi tracked down the ball. In the process, Akujuobi was pulled down from behind in the box by a Mountaineer defender to give the Runnin' Bulldogs a penalty kick.
On the penalty kick, junior Marius Hammersmark made good on the free shot attempt, tying the score back up at 2-2 with 29 minutes to go in regulation.
Krotee would come up big once more for the Runnin' Bulldogs over the final 29 minutes of play, as the redshirt-senior tallied two more stops to help keep the Mountaineers from finding that go-ahead goal.
GWU's last chance effort in the 90th minute, a header by Akujuobi off a cross, which was knocked away at the last second by a Appalachian State defender just in front of the right front post, came up just short to send the game into overtime.
The fast pace and the physical play over the full 90 minutes of play showed on both teams in the overtime period, yet the Mountaineers looked to score the game-winning goal early.
Yet Krotee was up to the task, as he stopped a back-to-back shot attempts by Toure in the first two minutes of the extra frame, then recorded a third save on another Toure shot attempt in the 96th minute.
GWU's lone scoring chance of the first overtime came in the 99th minute, as Clarke took a quick indirect free kick off a called Appalachian State foul that slid through the defense and was corralled by a diving West at the very last minute to keep the score locked up at 2-2 and send the game into a second overtime.
After a header off the head of Harrison Delbridge sailed high for the Mountaineers in the 102nd minute, Appalachian State's best chance to end the match came only a minute later when Broaden's shot attempt from just outside the left side of the box hit off the right front post and was just inches away from ending the match in favor of the Mountaineers.
Gardner-Webb took advantage when in the 106th minute Tatsumi had a scoring chance punched away by West and out of bounds to give the home team a corner kick.
On the Runnin' Bulldogs' eighth corner kick of the night, Hammersmark played the ball to the front left post where a cutting Tatsumi put his head on the ball and sent it sailing just inside the post and into the back of the net to give the home team the 3-2 double overtime win.
The goal was Tatsumi's second of the season, while the assist was Hammersmark's first on the year.
Gardner-Webb held its own in the shots category, as Appalachian State held a slight 20-17 advantage overall, while the Runnin' Bulldogs held a slight 8-7 advantage in corner kicks.
Krotee earned his first win of the season, as he tallied nine saves, including three in the overtime periods, to help lead GWU to the 3-2 win.
Gardner-Webb will jump back into Big South Conference play on Saturday afternoon, as the Runnin' Bulldogs will host VMI at 2 p.m. as part of the Gardner-Webb Men's Soccer Alumni Weekend. Make sure to get to the match early for a special presentation prior to the kick-off.
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| Box Score: GWU 3, Appalachian State 2 (2OT) |
