Mustangs drop overtime opener

CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa -- A year after a golden goal earned Mount Mercy an overtime victory in their season opener at St. Francis (Ill.), the Fighting Saints returned the favor, scoring the clincher less than seven minutes into the first overtime to defeat the Mustangs, 2-1, on Wednesday at the Robert W. Plaster Athletic Complex.

Reuel Erastus-Obilo notched both goals for St. Francis. The first gave the Saints a 1-0 advantage in the 24th minute. Less than four minutes into the second half, Kevin Kastl (SR/Schwabach, Germany) lofted a pass downfield that Adin Turanovic (JR/Haarlem, Netherlands) placed in the corner of the net to level the match. Despite failing to convert two penalty kicks and playing a man down for much of the second half, the match was even at the end of regulation.

For six-and-a-half minutes it appeared the game was headed for a second overtime, but Brian Castillo's sliding pass to Erastus-Obilo began the final sequence. Erastus-Obilo's strike slid past Mustang goalkeeper Matias da Fonseca (SO/Lisbon, Portugal) to give the Fighting Saints (1-0-0) the win. Shots were nearly even, with St. Francis totaling 13 compared to Mount Mercy's 10. Both teams put six shots on frame.

A pair of non-conference road matchups are on next week's slate. The Mustangs (0-1-0) are at Hannibal-LaGrange (Mo.) on Tuesday at 4:30 p.m., then head to Chicago for a 2:00 p.m. contest at Roosevelt (Ill.) on Saturday, Aug. 31. Mount Mercy is back at the Plaster Athletic Complex to host St. Ambrose on Wednesday, Sept. 4, at 7:00 p.m.