Box Score
Ohio Wesleyan 12, Salisbury 11
Junior attacker Steven Hildebrand (Berwyn, Pa./Conestoga) scored the game-winning goal in overtime to lift Ohio Wesleyan over third-ranked Salisbury on Sunday at Selby Stadium.
Senior midfielder Luke Leyden (Northfield, Mass./Northfield Mt. Hermon) passed the ball ahead to junior attacker Jack Jeschke (Syracuse, N.Y./Christian Brothers Academy) to the right of the crease, Jeschke found Hildebrand alone on the doorstep, and Hildebrand put the ball into the Sea Gull cage to end the game with :49 left in the first overtime.
Both teams had a chance to take the lead late in regulation time. Ohio Wesleyan gained possession with about 3 minutes remaining, and after a timeout, the Bishops received a shot-clock warning with 1:55 remaining. Ohio Wesleyan could not work free for a clean look at the Salisbury goal, and junior midfielder Cole Jamieson (Okemos, Mich.) launched a shot well wide of the goal to avoid the violation.
Salisbury cleared the ball on its ensuing possession, and after a timeout with 1:01 left, the Sea Gulls played for a final shot. The ball ended up in the stick of Garrett Reynolds, but senior defenseman Justin Smith (Coronado, Calif.) dislodged the ball and the clock ran out. Smith was called for a cross-check on the play, so Salisbury opened the overtime period with a man-up situation. Pierre Armstrong had a look at the Bishop goal, but his shot was stopped by senior goalkeeper Ben Rigger (Decatur, Ga.), and Ohio Wesleyan picked up the ground ball and was able to kill the remainder of the penalty.
Ohio Wesleyan took a 4-0 lead, getting goals from Jamieson, freshman attacker Will Anton (Madison, N.J.), Leyden, and Jeschke during the opening period.
The Sea Gulls got on the scoreboard on a man-down goal by Reynolds early in the second quarter, but the Bishops answered with scores by Jeschke and freshman midfielder Storm Schalit (Palm Coast, Fla./Matanzas) to increase the lead to 6-1.
Salisbury closed to within 7-3 when Armstrong beat the first-half horn with a goal, and the Sea Gulls carried that momentum over into the third quarter by reeling off 5 straight goals to open the half. Reynolds scored back-to-back goals to begin the run, and when Reynolds found Griffin Moroney for a goal with 5:40 left in the quarter, the Sea Gulls had taken an 8-7 lead.
Jeschke scored off a Hildebrand feed with 2:45 left in the period, knotting the game at 8-8, and the teams would trade goals for the remainder of regulation time. Hildebrand gave the Bishops a 9-8 lead late in the third quarter only to see Reynolds answer for the Sea Gulls just over a minute into the fourth period; Jeschke put Ohio Wesleyan up, 10-9, less than 2 minutes later before Zach Pompea tied the score at 10 just over a minute after that; and senior midfielder Peter Hamblett (Portsmouth, N.H.) made it 11-10 midway through the quarter before Corey Gwin scored less than a minute later to even the game at 11.
Jeschke led the Bishops with 4 goals and an assist, while Hildebrand added 2 goals and an assist and Jamieson scored 2 goals. Rigger recorded 8 saves in the Ohio Wesleyan crease.
Reynolds led Salisbury with 5 goals and an assist. Anthony Stavrakis stopped 6 shots for the Sea Gulls.
Box Score
