DAYTON, Ohio - AJ Paterson netted the golden goal in overtime to send Wright State University past the Milwaukee men's soccer team by a final score of 2-1 Saturday evening at Alumni Field.
 
"I was very pleased with how we played throughout the match," Milwaukee head coach Kris Kelderman said. "I feel bad for the guys. They gave themselves a very good chance to win the game. Worked hard, fought and played well enough to get a result."
 
The Panthers (7-7-2, 4-3-1 Horizon League) had trailed at the half but answered on Jaime Colin's goal in the 73^rd minute to draw even with the Raiders (10-5-2, 6-1-1 Horizon League). The evenly-contested match went to extra time before the header goal at the 97:30 mark won it, helping WSU to claim at least a share of the regular-season Horizon League title and the No. 1 seed in the process.
 
"It just came down to giving up a pair of goals on corner kicks," Kelderman said. "That is the frustrating part about it. It's a frustrating loss because I felt we played good enough to win the game. But we knew it wasn't going to be easy coming in against the top team in the league."
 
Milwaukee came out firing, placing three shots over the first 9:33, including a save on an attempt off the foot of Francesco Saporito. Nick Moon nearly had the Panthers on the scoreboard first, drilling one from distance that went inches wide of the left post in the 23^rd minute.
 
Oliver Haslund made a brilliant stop on a shot from distance in the 32^nd minute, only to see the Raiders take advantage of set pieces on both of their goals. WSU also netted the opening tally in the 36^th minute following a corner kick.
 
"In the run of play, I thought we were very good tonight – especially against the first-place team on the road," Kelderman said. "They are a very good team – they are in first place for a reason. Giving up two goals on restarts is what set us apart unfortunately."
 
Colin's goal came in the run of play, with Moon bringing the ball down the field. He fed Evan Conway on the left side, who hit a streaking Colin in stride in the goal box. The one-touch tally was a beauty, knotting things up at the 72:23 mark.
 
From there it was back-and-forth, with UWM seeing Moon force a tough save in the 83^rd minute and Moon again with a near-golden goal in the first minute of overtime on a great through ball from Matthias Binder, with Joel Sundell making an improbable stop running off his line.
 
Haslund finished the night with three saves, including another impressive stop just ahead of the goal that actually created the final corner kick opportunity.
 
For the game, WSU held a slim 14-to-13 edge in shots, with each squad finishing with six on target. The Raiders also earned 12 of the 19 corner kicks in the match.
 
Up next will be yet another big game, with postseason implications on the line for the Panthers. They play host to Cleveland State University for one final home game, kicking off next Friday at 7 p.m.

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