Purdue Calumet Wins Wild OT Match at St. Francis, 4-3

PUC-PeregrinsCristian Garcia’s goal in the 91st minute sealed a wild overtime victory and kept the Purdue University Calumet men’s soccer team’s winning streak alive in a 4-3 victory at St. Francis (Ill.) Tuesday.

Purdue Calumet (10-5-1, 7-2-1) won its sixth straight game with the victory over the Fighting Saints (2-13, 0-8-1), a match with important playoff implications.

With Roosevelt’s (7-2) loss Tuesday, the Peregrines now stand in a two-way tie for first place with 22 points in the Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference standings with Judson (7-2-1) – a team which they tied earlier this season, 1-1. Olivet Nazarene (7-2) is also in the mix with one regular-season conference match remaining.

Garica (Whiting, Ind./Clark) scored his third goal of the season with the game winner on a point blank shot, which he drilled into the lower right corner of the net. Junior Papa Otoo (Brandenton, Fla./Braden River) was credited the assist.

The goal sealed what was a crazy game for the Peregrines, who trailed 3-1 after St. Francis’ Wilmer Moreno scored a goal from 25-yards out on a curling shot in the 60th minute.

Purdue Calumet senior Tom Hardy (Heddon-on-the-Wall, England) brought his squad within one with his goal five minutes later (66th minute), putting in a rebound shot with the assist to teammate Zac Doepke (Troy, Mich./Troy).

Junior Kwesi Annoh (Browns Mills, N.J./Pemberton Township) then notched his second goal in as many games in the 79th minute to send the game into overtime, benefiting on a short shot in a 2-on-1 situation with the help of Victor Garcia’s (Whiting, Ind./Clark/South Suburban) assist.

Otoo scored the Peregrines’ first goal in the 59th, netting an unassisted goal off a breakaway to make it 2-1 St. Francis.

Freshman keeper Miguel David (Spring Valley, Calif./Bonita Vista) recorded eight saves in the win, also his 10th of the year.

Purdue Calumet returns to action Saturday, when the Peregrines honor seniors Victor Garcia, Sahid Navarro and Hardy prior to their final home match of the season against Holy Cross at Munster High School.