Box Score Henry Tallies Pair of Assists; Scots move to 5-1
MARYVILLE – The Maryville College Scots won their third-straight double overtime victory Friday afternoon, knocking off N.C. Wesleyan College, 2-1.
Friday's victory marks the fourth overtime match in six for the Scots this season, as they hold a 5-1 record. Maryville is currently ranked seventh in Region VI.
"Never," Head Coach Pepe Fernandez said of the overtime wins. "I've never seen that. I thought in the spring during the COVID time, we had four penalty kicks in four games against us. I was like, 'I've never seen that before.' Now, this is another new one. It's pretty special, and it's a lot of fun to win that way. Hopefully, we can get some regulation wins now."
Maryville found a second-half goal to take the lead, but the Battling Bishops tied it with just more than three minutes left in regulation to force the overtime period.
Craig McIlwraith's double-overtime score ended the match in the 102nd minute of play.
"I didn't think we played our best game, but we played really well at times," Fernandez said. "North Carolina Wesleyan played really well at times. If you look at the history of this matchup, there's been tons of overtime games and conference finals. It could have gone either way like any game. I told somebody after the game that right before COVID hit, our coaches had a conversation that I felt like I'd seen about everything. Then, I saw COVID and now four overtime wins. These boys are pretty special. They're a team that can find a way to win early in the season, on the road and at neutral sites against some really good competition. It says a lot about them. We beat a really good team today, and I couldn't be more proud of the boys."
Maryville got the scoring started in the 64th minute. Ndubueze Henry dribbled the right side, cutting across to the left. He flipped a cross to Jace Burchfield at the far post, giving the Scots a 1-0 advantage.
With just 3:54 remaining, N.C. Wesleyan would knot the match at 1-all. Matteo Simonini crossed a pass into the box, as Agustin Rodriguez's glancing header sailed just over the MC keeper. That goal forced overtime, as the Scots would take in the double overtime.
Henry picked up his second assist of the match, beating a defender on the outside. He crossed to the back post, where McIlwraith's volley found net for the Golden Goal and a 2-1 victory.
N.C. Wesleyan (1-4-1) outshot Maryville, 18-7, on the afternoon.
Maryville will look to keep their momentum, as the Scots host LaGrange College in a non-conference bout on Sunday, Sept. 19. First touch is slated for 4:30 p.m.
