DAYTONA BEACH, Florida. –
Matt Carresi scored in overtime in an intense finish to help Concordia University Irvine stun No. 15 Embry-Riddle University.
Tied 12-12 with the host Eagles, Carresi lulled the defense to sleep after slowing down his 1-on-1 attack attempt. He then whipped a shot past both his defender and the goalie for the difference-maker. He was swarmed by a sea of Green and Gold as the Golden Eagles knocked off their first ranked opponent of the year and improved to 2-2 overall.
Just a few minutes earlier, Carresi had fed
Jeremy Barnes for a go-ahead goal with under two minutes to play in regulation. That score made it 12-11 Concordia and appeared to be the game-winner at the time. It stayed that way until the final ten seconds of the fourth, when Embry-Riddle got one last gasp with a breakaway and was able to tie it and force overtime.
Trailing 11-9 with under four minutes to play in the fourth period, CUI upperclassmen
Max Texter notched a key goal after many attempts at shedding his defender. That made it 11-10 with 3:20 remaining in regulation.
Concordia tied the contest at 11 thanks to a clutch goal by All-Conference returner
Jeremy Barnes.
Barnes and
Erik Hollis each led the CUI offense with three goals apiece. Carresi finished with two goals and two assists, while
Noah Pillow also scored twice.
Face-off specialist
Dawson Loudermilk voiced his presence with a commanding day at the X. Loudermilk won 20 of the 26 face-offs he was involved in - a huge development and reason why Concordia ultimately won the contest and kept getting possession after stoppages.
CUI goalies
Zane Coda and
Brody Woods were also an important part of the win. Both goalies had four saves and Woods ultimately earned his first victory with the Green and Gold when they closed things out down the stretch.
Next up for CUI is the second leg of this three-game road trip in Florida. The Golden Eagles visit No. 2 Tampa on Wednesday evening before visiting nationally-ranked Florida Tech on Friday.
The next home game for the Golden Eagles will be on Thursday, March 12 at 6 p.m. PT against new RMAC member Northwest Nazarene.
CLICK HERE for the full CUI men's lacrosse schedule
