TOWSON, Md. - An unassisted goal by Brian Hoge (Crofton, MD/Arundel) 2:29 into overtime provided Goucher with a 7-6 victory over Scranton and allowed the Gophers to move into a tie with Drew for first place in the Landmark Conference.

The goal was the junior midfielder's second of the game. His first put the Gophers (7-3, 2-0 Landmark) ahead 3-1 midway through the second period.

The Royals (7-3, 2-1 Landmark) took their only lead of the contest on an unassisted goal by Thomas Kornobis with 1:56 remaining in the third quarter, but before the period ended, Goucher pulled into a 6-6 tie thanks to an unassisted goal by Jake Fratella (Wilmington, DE/Brandywine).

Neither team was able to score in the fourth quarter, even though they combined to take 15 shots. Junior goalkeeper Austin Main (Berlin, MD/Stephen Decatur) of the Gophers made three saves in the period to finish with a total of 12; Scranton's Jeremy Dowiak turned away one Goucher shot in overtime and he also ended up with a dozen saves.

Including the three shots they unleashed in overtime, the Gophers ended with a 37-31 advantage in shots. They finished with a slight edge (40-38) in ground balls.

Scranton is one of three opponents on Goucher's 2008 schedule that the Gophers had never faced prior to this season. The other two first-time opponents are Washington & Jefferson, a team the Gophers defeated, 21-6, back on March 8, and Susquehanna, which will host head coach Kyle Hannan's squad on April 26.

2008-04-05