Men’s soccer forces OT with last second goal

One of the most dramatic goals in Duquesne men's soccer history allowed the Dukes to salvage a 1-1 draw against St. Bonaventure Friday at Rooney Field.

The Dukes (3-5-2, 0-0-1) faced a one goal deficit after St. Bonaventure forward Joshua Gonsalves placed a shot right past the finger-tips of goalkeeper Colin Thorp and into the upper-right corner of the net in the 42nd minute, forcing Duquesne to furiously push the ball toward the Bonnies' zone throughout the second half.

The pressure of Duquesne's attack finally broke the Bonnies' defense in the final minute of the match, when forward Simon Gomez decided to attempt a pass through several Bonnies, hoping to find anyone representing the red and blue on the other end. Which he did.

With six seconds left, junior defender Adam Clement received Gomez's pass and nailed a game-saving header right into the heart of the Bonnies' net, sending the team into an uproar and the match into overtime tied at one.

Clement described his mentality when he saw Gomez's pass squeak through the St. Bonaventure defense.

"I saw the ball come in. I have no idea where it came from, but I knew it was going to be it. I knew it had to be it, and I had no choice but to score," Clement said. "If I wouldn't have scored, everyone would have dropped their heads, but this sends us out of here feeling pretty good going into our next match."

Clement is now second on the team in goals with three on seven shots this season, including two goals in the past two games. The captain, who is expected to perform well defensively, believes his surprising offensive play is needed if the Dukes' hopes of a successful season are going to remain realistic.

"It feels good be someone who's helping to lift up the team," he said. "Everyone counts on Simon and Josh [Patterson] to score out there, but I'm a captain, and I try to help this team in any way possible."

Forward Josh Patterson had another spectacular offensive performance without a goal, posting six shots with three on goal.

But his performance was paired with Gomez's surprisingly quiet outing, only getting one shot off in the match. In overtime, the sophomore forward, averaging 3.2 shots in 10 matches, had two clear chances to seal a Duquesne victory with a good strike on net but decided to pass the ball both times.

"I have to have that killer instinct. I should have been more direct," Gomez said. "I need to step up and be a little more selfish. That's my job. The defense is doing its job. There's no reason why I can't do mine."

Coach Jake Ouimet also thinks Gomez needs to be more aggressive in order for the Dukes to perform well in the conference.

"Simon's a dangerous player, and the rest of the conference knows that," Ouimet said. "There were a couple of opportunities he passed up that he just tapped out wide instead of toward the net. But he'll be fine going forward, and he's a lot of fun to watch."

Duquesne outshot the Bonnies 19-12 and left several golden chances out on the field yet again, including a Patterson penalty kick in the game's first minute and two shots that rang off the Bonnies' crossbar. The lack of production has become commonplace for the Dukes as they have outshot their opponents 143-112 while scoring only 13 goals on the season.

But Duquesne has performed well at Rooney, posting eight goals at home while remaining unbeaten on the Bluff (3-0-2), something Ouimet said is incredibly important for the Dukes to remain in the hunt for a spot in the Atlantic 10 Tournament.

"We needed to get a result at home, and it's great to remain undefeated here," he said. "Every point matters, and our mentality is that we can't afford to lose one point in any match."

The Dukes will have to leave the comfort of home as they will look to improve their 0-5-0 road record when they travel to Missouri to face Saint Louis at 8 p.m. Friday.