Junior Mariah Shade (Los Bajos, Trinidad & Tobago) scored 47 seconds into the second overtime period as the 25th-ranked American International College women's soccer team recorded a 2-1 Northeast-10 victory at Merrimack College Saturday afternoon.
The Yellow Jackets improved to 7-2-2 overall and 6-1-2 in the Northeast-10 with the win, while the Warriors fell to 8-4-0 overall and 6-3-0 in conference play. AIC's win combined with Saint Rose's 1-1 tie at Saint Anselm moves the Yellow Jackets into a first-place tie in the NE-10 standings with the top-ranked Golden Knights.
The match was scoreless until the 66th-minute when freshman Jenna Savi (Dedham, Mass.) found the back of the net off a throw-in to give the Warriors a 1-0 lead. That goal was the first allowed by AIC and sophomore keeper Samantha Tabak (North Haven, Conn.) in 502:56.
The Yellow Jackets tied the contest in the 74th-minute when freshman Roxy Lee-Stewart (Southampton, England) put the ball home during a scrum in front of the net and force overtime. Junior Caroline Boyce (Canterbury, N.H.) assisted on first goal of Lee-Stewart's collegiate career.
Neither team was able to break the deadlock in the first overtime period and for the second game in a row Shade struck in the opening minute of the second overtime frame to give AIC the win. Her initial shot was stopped and she put home her own rebound in the right side of the goal for her second goal of the season.
Tabak made five saves to earn the decision in goal and improve her record to 6-1-1. Junior keeper Nicole Curtis (Billerica, Mass.) also had five stops in taking the loss for Merrimack, dropping her record to 8-4-0.
The Yellow Jackets outshot the Warriors 27-12 in the match, holding a 13-6 advantage in the first half and a 10-4 margin in the second. Corner kicks were even at three apiece.
AIC will open a three-match home stand Wednesday night when it hosts a 7 p.m. Northeast-10 match against Le Moyne College.