Thanks to senior forward Daniel Wright, Colorado College began the 2012 season in on the right foot.

Wright’s ‘Golden Goal,’ 6:57 into overtime, capped a thrilling season opener that saw the Tigers overcome a two-goal first-half deficit to record a 3-2 victory over the University of Texas at Dallas on Friday afternoon at CC’s Stewart Field.

“It was a good win and a great way to start off the season,” Wright said. “The first half was a little rough, but we knew they’d tire out in the second half and we just had to keep coming. It feels great.”

Just like last season’s 4-3 win over CU-Colorado Springs, junior midfielder Sean Parham played a crucial role in the game-winning goal. In fact, he was involved in on all three scores by the Tigers.

On the deciding play, Parham took a pass from senior forward Matt Fechter in the midfield and began to dribble toward the Comets’ goal. After spotting his teammate making a run on the right side, he slid a pass through the defense and Wright buried the shot into the left side of the net.

“I took a couple of touches and he put a hand up,” Parham said. “We’ve run that little pattern 20 or 30 times every practice, so it’s just doing what we practiced in the games. They got tired and we got in the gaps. It really does not get better than that. It’s a big season and a big win to start it. It feels really good.”

CC’s comeback began in the 54th minute when Fechter took a crossing pass from Parham and ripped a shot from the top of the box that beat UTD goalkeeper Steven Nicknish at the left post.

A little more than 15 minutes later, it was Parham who tied the game when he put a head on Fechter’s shot toward the right post and sent the ball over the out-stretched arms of Nicknish.

Fechter notched a goal and an assist in the same game for the seventh time in his career.

Both teams had solid scoring chances late in the game. Nicknish denied Wright with a diving stop on a shot that looked as if it were headed to the lower right corner, and senior goalkeeper Forrest Marowitz made a sliding stop on Luke Cotter at the right post with 6:34 to play in regulation.

Junior forward Michael Darrow put the Comets on the board when he knocked in the rebound of his own shot at the right post in the 24 minute. Junior midfielder Antonio Rodriguez started the scramble when his header off a corner kick found the post. Marowitz stopped Darrow’s first shot from the center of the box, but the Tiger defense was unable to clear the rebound.

A little more than three minutes later, Darrow converted on a perfect feed from Robert Lopez. The senior forward chased down a long pass on the right side, used a spin move to gain separation from the defender, and sent a cross from the right side of the box to Darrow, who put the ball into an open net.

Colorado College finished with a 21-10 advantage in total shots, but UTD had an 11-8 edge in corner kicks.

Marowitz stopped three of the four shots he faced, while Nicknish made eight saves. 

“It feels euphoric,” head coach Horst Richardson said.” That’s the proper adjective. It’s been a while since we’ve started a season with an emotional win against a superior opposition like Texas-Dallas.

“We really dug deep. It was a gutsy comeback. And to win it like that in overtime, it bodes well for the rest of the season.”

Colorado College, which prevailed in its season opener for the seventh time in eight years, returns to action on Monday, Sept. 3, when the Tigers play host to Nebraska Wesleyan University at 4 p.m.

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