DELHI, N.Y. -- A precise and hard-struck penalty kick by rookie Lutho Mlunguza '23 helped Elmira College men's soccer secure a 3-2 overtime road victory against SUNY Delhi on Wednesday evening. With the triumph, the Soaring Eagles (6-2-1) extend their win streak to four games, while the Broncos (4-4-0) saw their four-game win streak come to an end.
 
Mlunguza finished the evening with two goals, a career best for the first-year talent, while Adam Nichols '20 continued his stellar senior season with one goal and one assist. The reigning Empire 8 Conference Defensive Player of the Week, Xavier Townsend '23, made four saves to secure his fifth consecutive win between the sticks.
 
Delhi's Brody Rettle handed the Broncos a 1-0 lead in the 13th minute, as he found the back of the net on a free kick from 25-yards out.
 
It looked as though EC tied the game with a goal in the closing seconds of the first half, but Elmira was whistled for offsides and the tally was disallowed.
 
Then, just 48 seconds into the second half, Elmira was awarded a penalty kick. Elmira's leading goal scorer, Nichols, stepped to the mark but his attempt grazed over the crossbar.
 
The constant pressure was a sign of things to come though, as the Soaring Eagles broke through for their first goal in the 56th minute. After missing the penalty kick, Nichols beat a wall of four defenders to score his fifth goal of the season and knot the score at 1-1.
 
Elmira took its first lead of the game less than three minutes later thanks to a brilliant counter-attack by the Purple and Gold. Nichols fed Mlunguza on a breakaway, which set up the rookie midfielder to punch the ball into the back of the net and give the Elmira men a 2-1 advantage.
 
EC's lead was short-lived though, as Rettle once again cashed-in on a free kick to tie the score at 2-2 in the 61st minute. Rettle's goal would eventually force overtime.
 
Delhi tested the Elmira back line in the extra period with four shots, but only one was on target, which Townsend snuffed out. EC produced two shots of their own, both of which missed wide, but then a foul inside the box by the Broncos at the 99:03 mark set up another penalty kick for the Soaring Eagles. This time Mlunguza took the shot, one that he routinely buried to send the EC sideline into a frenzy and lift the Purple and Gold to their sixth victory of the 2019 campaign.
 
In His Own Words
Head Coach Kevin Brenner shares his thoughts on today's win…
"What a game! A slow start gave SUNY Delhi the edge. Some adjustments at halftime helped us in the second half. Out players showed a tremendous amount of resiliency and determination in dominating the second half of play, pushing the score line to -1 and then eventually winning it in overtime. I thought we caused their back line some issues with our attacking players today as we were good moving forward. Overall, I cannot say enough about this win and this group of men we have!"
 
News and Notes

• Elmira extended its winning streak to four games.
• EC upped its record to 6-2-1.
• The Soaring Eagles remain perfect in road games this season at 4-0-0.
• Elmira secured its first overtime win since beating SUNY Canton in OT, 2-1, in 2013.
• Nichols scored his team-leading fifth goal of the year.
• Nichols recorded his team-leading fifth assist of the season.
• Nichols leads Elmira with 15 points on the year.
• Mlunguza produced the first multi-goal game of his rookie season.
• Mlunguza scored his third and fourth goals of the year.
• Townsend has won five consecutive games as EC's starting netminder.

Up Next
The Elmira men will look to continue their winnings ways, and put their 1-0-0 league record on the line, as they host Houghton College in an Empire 8 Conference showdown on Saturday, September 28. The opening kick-off is slated for 3:00 p.m. on EC's grassy pitch at Campus Field.