SAVANNAH, Ga. - Armstrong Atlantic State University senior Morgan Mitchell punched in a corner kick three minutes into the first overtime to deliver a 4-3 Peach Belt Conference victory over visiting North Georgia on Saturday afternoon at the Armstrong Soccer Field.

The No. 9-ranked Pirates (6-1-1, 4-0 PBC) withstood a furious comeback from the Saints (8-2, 1-2 PBC) as North Georgia overcame a two-goal halftime deficit to force overtime in the match.

Two minutes into overtime, the Pirates had a great chance to end it when Kristina Pascutti's shot from just inside the penalty area was pushed over the bar by North Georgia goalkeeper Mallory Sayre, resulting in a corner kick.

Emily Cattanach delivered the corner kick to the far post, where it bounced once and in the ensuing scrum in front of the net, Mitchell poked it past Sayre for the match-winner as well as her second hat trick of the season.

North Georgia jumped on top in the match as Kelly Penston ran down a long pass from Cicely Taliaferro in the eighth minute, beating Pirate keeper Maggie Carson for a quick 1-0 lead.

The Saints looked to have added another goal just two minutes later, but an offside call nullified the play.

Armstrong drew even in the 27th minute as Nadima Skeff took a pass from Danielle Fey, turned and beat Sayre to the far post for her third goal of the season.

Mitchell put the Pirates on top in the 30th minute as she headed home a cross from Cattanach to make it a 2-1 advantage, then the senior added a second goal before the half when a shot from the top of the box deflected into the goal, sending Armstrong into halftime with a 3-1 advantage.

North Georgia wasted no time in climbing back into the match as, just four minutes into the second half, Abby Trevino's point blank shot was smothered by Armstrong defender Emily Cattanach, but momentum kept the ball rolling off of the downed Cattanach and into the goal that made the score 3-2 in the 49th minute.

Armstrong had two golden opportunities to get an insurance goal a minute apart as both Andye Dawson and Nadima Skeff missed shots high in the 55th and 56th minutes.

The Saints tied things up in the 66th minute on a great individual effort by Kayla Croom, as she ran down a long header from Taliaferro and one-touched a shot inside the far post for the tally.

Armstrong substitute keeper Morgan Luckie made a pair of saves in the final 10 minutes and the Pirates' Kristina Pascutti shot wide left in the 86th minute for the final quality chances of regulation.

The Pirates finished the match with a 19-14 advantage in shots. Luckie picked up her first win in net for Armstrong, giving up two goals in 48 minutes of action while making three saves. Sayre took the loss for the Saints, giving up four goals and making three saves in net.

"What a fantastic match to be a part of," Armstrong head coach Eric Faulconer said. "Two of the best teams in the country trading blows like championship heavyweight boxers in a great environment for college soccer. We beat a very good team today on pure grit and determination, making plays when they needed to. Once again, Morgan Mitchell rose her level of play with her second hat trick of the season and willed us to the win." 

With the win, Armstrong extends its current unbeaten home streak to 35 matches, downing the last team to beat the Pirates on its home field - North Georgia - back in 2008.

"There is something definitely special about our field," Faulconer said. "Our players take a lot of pride in protecting our home and today was just another example of that."

Armstrong enjoyed an 8-3 edge in corner kicks, and both teams were offsides once in the match. The Pirates were whistled for 16 fouls, compared to 12 for the Saints.

The Pirates return to action on Wednesday, October 3rd, traveling to Clayton State for a 7:30 p.m. Peach Belt Conference match against the Lakers in Morrow, Ga.