OBERLIN, Ohio – Junior Nick Wertman's piercing strike in the 104^th minute of the second overtime may be the biggest goal of the season to date for the Oberlin College men's soccer team as it gave them a thrilling 2-1 win over the visiting the Allegheny College Gators on Tuesday night at Fred Shults Field.
 
With chance after chance all going for naught, the Yeomen junior was able to finally get one by the pesky Jake Pugliese. Following a cross to the middle, the ball got played back to Wertman who was all-alone in the middle and sent a piercing strike that hit off of Pugliese's hands and in.
 
The victory kept the Yeomen's possibility of an NCAC Tournament berth alive, as they are now 3-3-0 in league play and 9-5-1 overall. The Gators dropped to 4-8-2 overall, but still sit ahead of the Yeomen in the conference at 3-2-1.
 
Oberlin struck first in the 24^th minute as John Ingham cashed in his 13^th goal of the season, sending a chip over the head of a charging Pugliese after receiving a short-side pass from Slade Gottlieb.
 
Ingham rattled off 10 first-half shots, six of which hit their mark, including the go-ahead goal. The Jacksonville, Florida, native finished with 13 shots.
 
As a unit, the Yeomen outworked the Gators offensively in the first stanza with 18 shots compared to Allegheny's four. Nine of the Yeomen's first-half attempts fell on target, while the Gators only troubled first-year netminder Koryn Kraemer once in the initial 45.
 
In the Allegheny net, Pugliese was consistently pestered by the Oberlin front line. The Gator keeper worked hard -  finishing with 15 saves, most of which he made diving or leaping off of his line.
 
Kraemer registered four stops in the double overtime win, moving his campaign total to 61.
 
The second half lulled by with less offensive action than in the first, but both sides found ample scoring opportunities.
 
Nearly 15 minutes into the session, Allegheny found a much-needed equalizer from an attempt by Aaron Donahoe. Donahoe rapped a high shot that snuck over Kraemer, banged into the crossbar and into the twine.
 
After the Gators got even, the Yeomen stepped up the offensive pressure. A header from Timothy Williams forced Pugliese to make another key stop.
 
In the 72^nd, a foul from Allegheny's Donahoe merited a yellow card, which awarded Oberlin a free kick, just outside the penalty area.Wertman took the set piece opportunity and blasted a hard shot at Pugliese, but again the Gator keeper punched it over the goal.
 
In the latter stages of the second, Oberlin had chances to close out the match in regulation, but no offensive opportunity would materialize into a goal. From the 83^rd to the 88^th minute, Ingham had three attempts, but none hit their mark. A through-ball from Louis Naiman found Ingham on the back post with a golden opportunity, but he pushed the wide-open shot to the right.
 
Another legitimate chance for the Yeomen to breakthrough in the closing moments came from Trenton Bulucea. The first-year Cleveland native ripped a tenacious shot at Pugliese and the Gator stood tall to get a hand to it and knock it over his net.
 
In the overtime periods, the Yeomen put four more balls on frame with Pugliese denying three of them until Wertman finally sent the Yeomen faithful home happy.
 
Oberlin finished with a 32-9 edge in total shots, including a 17-5 margin in shots on goal. Both teams were even with six corner kicks.
 
The Yeomen will look for their third straight win when Ohio Wesleyan comes to town on Saturday night. The first touch is set for 7 p.m.