GEORGETOWN, Texas — In a contest between two evenly matched teams, Southwestern men's soccer made the plays needed down the stretch to defeat the Concordia Texas Tornados 1-0 in overtime. 

Junior midfielder Andrew Hernandez was the hero in overtime, finding the back of the net with 2:28 remaining in the first overtime for the golden goal. 

The opportunity came when Nathaniel Blake's long throw-in from near the left corner was headed back to him. The sophomore forward unleashed a rolling shot that skipped four times with incredible velocity towards Concordia All-ASC First Team keeper Joshua Redding, who went to the ground to stop it for his sixth save. However, Redding couldn't corral the ball, and Hernandez was quick to the loose ball to score his first goal of the season. 

Concordia entered the season as the favorite to win the American Southwest Conference, and Southwestern was voted to finish third in the Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference. In a matchup between the ASC's best offensive player in Marco Vazquez and the SCAC's top defense in Southwestern, the Pirates prevailed, keeping Vazquez without a shot. 

The Tornados put the Pirates on their heels early, but Southwestern controlled possession for much of the second half, taking an 11-3 advantage in shots with a 4-0 edge in corner kicks over the final 45 minutes of regulation. 

Concordia broke through for two great opportunities that Southwestern shut down with highlight moments. First, goalkeeper Jack Viles made a spectacular leaping save on one play, then defenders Luke Malone and Eric Jorgensen catching up to Concordia forward and former Pirate Theo Givens to stop what appeared to be a one-on-one breakaway opportunity against Viles. 

Southwestern improves to 4-1-1 with the win. The Pirates will return to action on Friday, September 24, for a home game against the University of St. Thomas. 

For more SU Pirate photos, please see Carlos Barron Photography.