Boxscore
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Belmont's Will Moorad scored the golden goal in the first overtime to lift the visiting Bruins over the University of North Florida Ospreys, 2-1, on Friday night at Hodges Stadium.
Tied 1-1 in overtime, the Bruins' Moorad took a pass from Nico Olsak. Moorad rushed towards the goal. The Ospreys' goalie Tyler Willets charged to intercept the ball, but Moorad was able to beat the keeper for the easy open goal.
The Ospreys were able to outshoot the Bruins, 13-to-10, but recorded most of their shots in the first half. UNF took nine shots in the first half, compared to just two by Belmont. The Bruins outshot the Ospreys in the second half, taking six shots compared to just four for UNF. In overtime, the Bruins took just two shots, but made the most of it scoring a goal.
Senior Adam O'Neill led all Ospreys with four shots, including two shots on goal, while freshman Ricky Lawrence added two shots that were both on goal.
Sophomore Greg Crowell scored North Florida's goal in the first half. The goal was the second of the season for the team captain. He scored in front of the goal off of a deflection by freshman Austin Doyle. The assist was Doyle's first of the season.
Willets took the hard luck loss for the Ospreys. The true freshman played the entire match between the posts for North Florida. He recorded four saves and intercepted numerous crosses. Willets was able to fend off the Bruins' attack until the 75th minute when BU's Brandon Tarr tied the score at 1-1.
North Florida took the lead in the first half with a goal by Crowell. The captain rattled off a shot in front of the goal that he pulled in off a deflection by Doyle. The goal was Crowell's second of the season, tying him for the team lead. The assist was Doyle's first collegiate point.
Belmont made a push late in the first half to tie the score. A deep kick from the Belmont goalie sent the ball the length of the field. Willets and a Bruin forward both leapt for the ball with each player crashing down to the ground in the top of the box. Willets alertly punched the ball to a UNF defender before any other Belmont attackers could corral the ball in front of the open net.
The Ospreys had a chance to push their advantage to two goals. With 15 minutes remaining in the first half, Josh Hudson took a shot that was caught by the Belmont goalie. The goalkeeper caught the ball while backing up and appeared to have broken the plane of the goal, but it was ruled that he did not.
The score remained 1-0 until the 75-minute mark of the second half. A bad touch by the Ospreys allowed Tarr to receive a long pass from Dan Meacock. Tarr beat the goalie one-on-one for the Bruins first goal of the night.
The score remained tied through the end of regulation, prompting overtime. In the extra stanza, Belmont missed an open net shot, but was able to score and escape the match with a victory.
North Florida returns to action on Sunday, Oct. 10, as the Ospreys play host to the Lipscomb Bison. The match is slated for 2:00 p.m. at Hodges Stadium.
