The GW men’s soccer team won yet another close game, this time beating Richmond on senior Greg McKay’s goal less than eight minutes into overtime. McKay’s highlight-worthy goal broke a scoreless tie and induced a mobbing from his teammates.

The game was GW’s fourth overtime win this year and its fourth win in its last five games.

GW (7-4, 1-0, Atlantic 10) began conference play following an out-of-conference schedule that saw several changes to the starting lineup, most notably the choice to have redshirt junior Matt Scheer start in goal over senior Greg Yahr. After keeping a clean sheet against Georgetown only four days earlier, Scheer matched his previous performance, holding the skilled Spider strikers scoreless.

The first half was relatively uneventful with both teams playing slightly conservatively. Each side saw their share of chances, but neither was able to put the ball in the back of the net. As time progressed in the second half, GW began to dictate the pace with crisp passing. As the end of regulation time neared, the Colonials were able to put several quality shots on goal, but Richmond’s senior goalkeeper Eric Sciocchetti came up with key saves to leave the game scoreless.

As overtime began, Richmond did not appear to have the endurance to keep up with GW’s pace. The Colonials continued peppering the goal with shots, but were still unable to put one away until the 99th minute, when senior midfielder Greg McKay received a cross on the right side and curled a left-footed shot around the outstretched arms of Sciocchetti into the top left corner. The score was McKay’s third goal of the season.

“They were able to overpower (Richmond) at the end of the game because of their stamina,” GW head coach George Lidster said of his team.

GW’s bench cleared onto the field in celebration, knowing that it had played a big role in the win. Scheer and McKay both credited the Colonials’ bench players with providing a crucial boost when the starters began to tire.

“We have 25 guys who know how to play Division I soccer,” Scheer said. “We feel like the level of play only gets better when our subs with fresh legs come in.”

The energy the team showed for 99 minutes bodes well for the rest of the A-10 season – starting with a game at Saint Joseph’s Oct. 19. Though only one game has been played in-conference, the way GW played, it looks as though the Colonials picked a good time to hit their stride.