FULTON, Mo. - After a double overtime thriller, Westminster men's soccer fell 3-2 to Iowa Wesleyan on a penalty kick in the 102nd minute of play.
The Blue Jays fall to 2-9-1 overall and 1-2-1 in St. Louis Intercollegiate Athletic Conference play.
Westminster struck first in the 20th minute, after Matthrew Schulte chased down a ball from Luciano Zarinelli that sailed over the Tiger goalkeeper, tapping the ball in the net to score the first goal of the match.
The Blue Jays managed to keep Iowa Wesleyan scoreless until the 39th minute, when a defensive breakdown allowed two goals from the Tigers in 16 seconds of play to make the score 2-1 in favor of Iowa Wesleyan going into the half.
"We got off to a great start but we weren't able to find that second goal early on to grab control," said Westminster Head Coach Adam Galla. "One bad minute of play where we gave up two goals completely changed the flow of the match. In the end, that was the true difference in the game."
Justin Gerdiman scored the equalizer in the 70th minute. After Jephte Ngendo sailed a ball from 10 yards out to hit the post, Gerdiman chased the rebound to score the second Blue Jay goal of the match from close range.
Each team closed out the final 20 minutes of play with solid defense to force overtime.
Both teams recorded two shots apiece in the first overtime, but neither could capitalize on an opportunity, forcing a second overtime period. After a foul in the box, Iowa Wesleyan was awarded a penalty kick, which was netted for the game-winner and sealed the fate of the Blue Jays.
The Tigers recorded 19 shots to Westminster's 15, including five from Ngendo and four from Schulte. Connor Bandre' played the whole game in goal, making seven saves.
Westminster goes on the road to face MacMurray Saturday at 3 p.m.