HICKORY, N.C. - Senior Hodaka Yonezawa scored a 109th-minute goal from the penalty spot to propel Anderson University men's soccer to a 3-2 double-overtime victory over Lenoir-Rhyne in South Atlantic Conference action on Saturday evening at Bears Field.
With the victory, the Trojans have won three straight matches by a 3-2 scoreline and improve to 6-4-1 on the season and 5-2 in SAC play. The Bears, who eliminated the Black and Gold from the postseason a year ago, falls to an identical 6-4-1 record with an even 3-3 record inside conference play.
After Lenoir-Rhyne's Romain Lopez opened the match's scoring in the 39th minute, the Bears took a 1-0 advantage into the halftime break. For Lopez, the goal was his second of the season.
The home side extended their lead in the 48th minute when Ismael Noumansana sent a through ball past the Anderson backline and found an open Ben Meredith. Meredith pushed a shot past Anderson goalkeeper Devon Ashy's right side and extended L-R's lead to 2-0. The goal was Meredith's third of the season.
Anderson stormed back in the 68th minute of play when Andre Carle found Brad Du Plooy inside the Lenoir-Rhyne box. Du Plooy flicked a shot over the head of L-R goalkeeper Zach King's head and sent the score to 2-1. For Du Plooy, the goal was his first of the season.
With less than three minutes left in regulation, AU was awarded a free kick just outside the L-R box. Du Plooy rolled a pass into the mixer and found an open Greyson Frye streaking to the far post. Frye tapped in a shot on an empty net and tallied his second goal of the season and the match's equalizer. Frye's goal would send the contest into overtime, marking Anderson's third overtime match this season.
After the first overtime period finished without a goal, L-R committed a foul inside its own box in the 109th minute. Yonezawa stepped up to the penalty spot and slotted a shot underneath the glove of King to hand the Trojans a 3-2 victory. For Yonezawa, the goal was his second of the season and first from the penalty spot for his career with the Black and Gold.
"I'm really proud of this group of guys," Anderson head coach Michael Zion said. "They keep finding ways to win games and a lot of heart and resilience went into tonight's result. We still have a lot to improve on, but I have to applaud the boys on another great result. The unwillingness to give up is so important going into the second half of the season. We will keep pushing to improve upon things and look for a little more consistency as we move forward."
Ashy, who recorded his sixth victory of the season, grabbed seven saves on the evening, as he continues to lead the SAC in the category with 55 stops.
Anderson returns to the pitch on Tuesday when its travels to archrival Erskine in search of a Beville Cup point. Kick-off is scheduled for 7 p.m.
