St. Peter, Minn. – The Gustavus men's soccer team displayed a never-say-die attitude in its final match of the Gustie Classic Invitational on Sunday afternoon at the Gustie Soccer field, defeating the University of Puget Sound 3-2 in overtime to pick up its first win of the season.

A game-tying goal (2-2) by Charlie Adams (Fr., Stillwater, Minn.) with just :41 seconds remaining in regulation allowed Zach Brown (So., Eau Claire, Wis.) the opportunity to bury the game-winning goal five minutes into overtime.  The Gusties improve to 1-1-0 with the victory, while Puget Sound drops to 0-1-1.

"Great win for the lads, I am so pleased for them. They worked their socks off, and got what they fully deserved," said Head Coach Mike Middleton.  "What team spirit, effort, and energy.  They just would not give up – brilliant."

Despite Gustavus controlling possession for the majority of the opening half, it was Puget Sound getting on the scoreboard first.  Nicholas Campanelli was able put a header past Gustavus goalkeeper Brett Ylonen (Fr., Lake Elmo, Minn.) at the 35:58 mark to give the Loggers a 1-0 lead.

The Gusties would get the equalizer just over five minutes into the second half.  After taking a pass from David Lilly (Jr., Maple Grove, Minn.), Grant Steine (Sr., Chaska, Minn.) made a move in close quarters and beat Logger keeper Chris McDonald with quick strike from the top of the box.

Puget Sound took the momentum back with a goal (2-1) less than 10 minutes later when Colin McIntosh directed the ball into the net off a throw in by Sean Ryan.  It was the second time this weekend that Puget Sound scored directly off a throw in that sailed near the goalkeeper box.

With less than 10 minutes left in the match, Gustavus pressed up field, desperately looking for any opportunity at the net.  That opportunity came in the 89th minute when Charlie Adams took a pass from Sam Leske left of the penalty box arc.  Seeing an opening with time running down, Adams fired a left-footed laser that hit the bottom of the crossbar and landed in the net behind keeper McDonald.

"Leske happened to give it back to me and I knew I just had to take a strike because there wasn't that much time left.  I thought I might as well have a go and it worked out for me," said Adams who registered his first collegiate point with the goal.

With momentum on the Gustie bench heading into overtime, it took 5:36 to score the winning tally.  David Lilly provided the opportunity for the second time in the match, putting the ball on striker Zach Brown's foot inside the box.  Using his body to shield a defender, Brown buried a low liner in the back of the net, giving Gustavus its first win of the season.

"An absolute stunner in the last minute of the game from freshman Charlie Adams.  That goal would have graced the Premier League. He looks like a terrific prospect and played very well today," commented Middleton on Adam's equalizer at the end of regulation.  "And the winner in overtime from Zach Brown," he continued,  "you just cannot keep him quiet as a defense. He's an animal out there."

Gustavus held the shots advantage in the match by a margin of 16-6.  Brett Ylonen picked up his first win of the season (1-1-0) in a two save effort, while Chris McDonald suffered the loss after making four saves

Brown and Adams were selected as Gustavus' representatives on the All-Tournament Team following today's matches.  The University of St. Thomas won the Gustie Classic with four points after going 1-0-1.  Tommie Kit Weaver (Jr., Iowa City, Iowa) was named the Most Valuable Player of the tournament.

Middleton was happy with how his squad competed over the course of the weekend, stating, "We were a bit unlucky Friday, and they ran their hearts out that game for little reward. So, to give that type of gargantuan effort within 48 hours was frankly quite stunning. I'm very proud of them."

"And a very big thanks to all those who helped with the tournament, they did a wonderful job.  To have such good quality teams on our campus was just great," he concluded.

The Gustavus men's soccer team will be back on the pitch Wednesday, Sept. 5, when it hosts Martin Luther College at 5:00 p.m. on the Gustie Soccer Field.

Box Score

Photo Gallery

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=Sn-eYEerIM0

Gustie Classic All-Tournament Team

University Of St. Thomas
Most Valuable Player – Kit Weaver (Jr., Midfielder, Iowa City, Iowa)
Nick Rapisarda (Jr., Forward, Green Bay, Wis.)
Brett Day (Sr., Midfielder, Wayzata, Minn.)
Ryan Bernhardt (Fr., Forward, Madison, Wis.)
Jace Leiferman (Jr., Goalkeeper, Mankato, Minn.)

UC-Santa Cruz
Zachary Hummel (So., Forward, Palo Alto, Calif.)
Reed Adler (Sr., Defender, Edina, Minn.)
Phillip Murphy (Jr., Forward, Benicia, Calif.)
Mark Barbosa (Jr., Midfielder, Carlsbad, Calif.)

Gustavus Adolphus College
Zach Brown (So., Forward, Eau Claire, Wis.)
Charlie Adams (Fr., Midfielder, Stillwater, Minn.)

University of Puget Sound
Colin McIntosh (Jr., Defender, Olympia, Wash.)
Chris Shaw (Sr., Midfielder, Coeur d'Alene, Idaho)