GREENEVILLE, Tenn. --- Gary Dunlop's goal with 1:17 remaining the second overtime period lifted the Tusculum men's soccer team to a 1-0 upset win over 19th-ranked Wingate Friday night at Pioneer Field in the regular-season finale for both teams.
With the victory, Tusculum (9-6-1, 6-4-1 SAC) earns an important three points and vaults into a tie for third place in the South Atlantic Conference with 19 points with Lincoln Memorial University. LMU (19 pts), Queens (18 pts) and Anderson (18 pts) all will wrap up their respective SAC seasons on Saturday.
The loss for Wingate (12-3-2, 9-2 SAC, 27 pts) has already clinched a share of the SAC regular season, but will await to see what Carson-Newman (13-2-1, 8-2 SAC, 24 pts) does on Saturday as CN could win a share of the league crown with a win at Coker.
With the final moments ticking down, TC junior Guillermo Lazcano dribbled into the right side of the box and sent a low crossing kick on the ground to the foot of Dunlop as his sliding kick notched his second TC goal and his first match-winner at the 108:43 mark of the match.
This happened just a minute after Wingate's Aksel Juul got off a shot that went over the TC defense and was heading into the goal, but junior keeper Jorge Alvarez made his fifth and most important save of the match to keep the contest scoreless.
Early in the match in the 11th minute. Tusculum dodged a bullet as Alvarez came off his line and tried to make a defensive play 33 yards away from his goal. Wingate's Juul gathered in the free ball and shot towards the open net from there but his attempt crazed off the right post.
In the 53rd minute, Tusculum got a scoring change from junior Jonathan Spicher as he shot from 25 yards out at the top of box clanged the left corner where the post and crossbar meet.
With two second remaining in regulation, Wingate keeper Pablo Jara made a save on a Dunlop shot from 25 yards out from the left wing to send the match into overtime.
Wingate's Jon Ander accounted for the only shot attempt in the first overtime period, which was saved by Alvarez.
Alvarez recorded his ninth win in goal this season, while also posting his sixth shutout. Jara finished the night with six saves in the loss.
Tusculum out-shot the Bulldogs by a 19-13 margin, while also owning a 4-1 advantage in corner kicks.
Spicher led all players with six shots, including two on frame, while Andre De Giorgi came off the bench to deposit four shot attempts with one being on goal.
The Pioneers, who have clinched their second straight winning season, will learn its seeding for next week's South Atlantic Conference Tournament. Tusculum, who has already clinched a berth into the tournament, is hoping to get one of the top-four seeds and earn the right to host a quarterfinal match on Tuesday. TC is the defending SAC Tournament champions.
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