GAMBIER, Ohio - In their North Coast Athletic Conference Tournament Final debut, the Oberlin College men's soccer team was outlasted by the Kenyon College Lords, 2-1, in a double-overtime thriller.

It was a picturesque day with a cool breeze and the sun shining down of Mavec Field as the Lords and Yeomen battled for a conference crown. Just like the regular season tilt, which the Lords stole on a controversial last-second goal, the NCAC title match needed two frames of extra time to decide a winner.

It took 3:44 for the Yeomen to strike first as they pressed high and broke into the final third down the right flank. An exchange of passes moved the Crimson and Gold closer and closer to the end-line until Jonah Blume-Kemkes rifled a long, swinging cross to the far post. An on-rushing Sam Weiss leaped past his would-be defender to meet the ball with a soft touch into the twine.

After the go-ahead goal, Oberlin was forced to play stifling defense, and held the Lords scoreless for 26 minutes. Sophomore Koryn Kraemer had an impeccable performance throughout the bout, posting seven saves, with many vital stops along the way. The lengthy, Westfield, New Jersey native was called into question in just the second minute, when Kenyon's Jordan Glassman tested his luck.

"Koryn has been consistently good for us this year," said headman Blake New. "He had to make two or three big saves that kept us in the game to day. They are a good team that always pressures and has long throw in's and direct service, but he did a great job at handling it."

In the 30th, Kenyon would find an equalizer on a ball that was an intended cross to the far post. After driving into the final third, the Lords' Billy O'Neill sliced a ball towards the far post and an on-waiting comrade. The cross drifted closer to the Oberlin net and eventually found it's way into the far corner, over the reach of an out-stretched Kraemer.

Though the two sides entered the halftime intermission deadlocked at 1-1, the Lords sprung out of the break and fired four shots with three shots on goal in the initial 6:40. Kraemer was equal to the task and kept the tie following the Kenyon offensive surge out of the restart.

The second stanza was a lot of transition and long balls that nobody could get on the end of. Second-year standout Trenton Bulucea notched the first shot on goal for Oberlin in the second half at the 63:45 mark. The attempt called Kenyon netminder, Sam Clougher into action and he hauled in the shot for his first save of the day.

As Kraemer kept his second-half shutout, the Yeomen pushed deep into the Lords defensive end and earned a corner kick as regulation came to a close. Bulucea snapped a corner kick into the box, which found the head of first-year Jack McMillin, but the Yeomen's knock-on flew wide of the post.

Knotted at a goal apiece, the match trickled into extra time, the Yeomen's fourth overtime affair of the campaign.

The first Oberlin attempt in the opening period of extra time was from Weiss, but the try sailed just high. After receiving a touch from Matthew Bach-Lombaro, Weiss cut back inside, dribbled into space and took aim. The shot drifted over Clougher and the frame of the goal.

Then the Yeomen earned a free kick in a favorable position following a hard foul by the Lords, but Bulucea's set piece was flung toward a Kenyon defender, thwarting the scoring opportunity.

The Crimson and Gold had to hold off a couple of Kenyon chances, but kept the stalemate intact to force a second period of extra time.

In the opening minutes of the final overtime frame, Oberlin got their offense rolling and busted into the final third once again. In front of goal, senior Nick Wertman had an attempt off the volley but failed to properly connect and the shot bounced into the grasp of Clougher. 

Clougher's ensuing clearance hopped through the midfield and ultimately found the feet of Philippe Stengel. Stengel charged into the Oberlin defensive third, past the Yeomen's back line and laced a right-footed shot to the left post. The attempt curled just enough to evade the reach of Kraemer and into the side netting, diminishing the Yeomen's title hopes.

"I thought we did a really nice job considering the circumstances," commented New. "The field was soft and bumpy and we had an opponent who's strategy was to play it safe. We did a good job as a unit of adjusting to combat that. We did a good job of keeping it when we needed to keep it, but being safe when we needed to be. We had a tough break at the end, but that's the nature of the game. That's soccer."

At the conclusion of the match, Oberlin's Adam Chazin-Gray and Galen Brennan joined Wertman on the All-Tournament team.

While the loss slides the Yeomen to 15-4-1 overall, the Crimson and Gold still have an outside chance of making the NCAA Tournament. The 2016 NCAA Men's Soccer Selection Show is scheduled for Monday afternoon at 1 p.m.