NASHUA, N.H. – Southern Vermont College opened up its New England Collegiate Conference (NECC) men's soccer schedule on Saturday at Daniel Webster College, battling the two-time defending champion Eagles to a 1-1 draw through double overtime at Eagle Field.
After a scoreless first half, DWC got on the board with a strike in the 47th minute. The Mountaineers would even things just over 10 minutes later, and the 1-1 tie would then be sustained through the remainder of regulation. The extra 20 minutes could not produce a winner as SVC closed out the tie, snapping Daniel Webster's NECC regular and postseason winning streak of 14 that dated back to October 2014.
Southern Vermont moves to 3-3-1 on the year and starts league action at 0-0-1. The Mountaineers now move to non-conference action on Tuesday, visiting Springfield College for a 7 p.m. start.
SVC's goal came from junior Paddy McGovern (Cheshire, England) who notched his NECC-leading eighth tally on the season. He was assisted by freshman Jake Figueiredo (Wethersfield, Conn.) in the 57th minute for the equalizer.
Mountaineer freshman goalie Chris Jimenez (Newark, N.J.) had a great day in net, turning away 16 Daniel Webster shots with a number of terrific saves in the draw (3-3-1).
After the Eagles staked the 1-0 upper hand at the 46:16 mark, Jimenez came up with a great point-blank, diving save to keep the score unchanged. A rebound was played into the box where the Eagle saw an open net, but Jimenez smothered the attempt from five feet away.
Shortly after, Figueiredo played a threaded ball to McGovern who turned it into a partial breakaway up the middle of the pitch. McGovern capitalized with the score, tying things at 1-1 with 33:03 to go. That tally would hold through the end of regulation, sending SVC into overtime for the second-straight game.
Jimenez came up with four saves in the two extra sessions including a pair on close-range shots in the second overtime. Those helped Southern Vermont walk out with the tie, ruining Daniel Webster's unblemished conference mark that lasted for nearly two years.
– #LetsGoSVC –