Fabio Andrade’s goal in the 99th minute broke a 2-2 overtime tie, giving the GW men’s soccer team a win over host Monmouth University and an end to its three-game losing streak Wednesday.
The goal, Andrade’s first of the season, came off an assist from teammate Justin Evans and gave the Colonials (3-3) a 3-2 win.
“There was no doubt in anyone’s mind that we would win,” senior midfielder Michael Goldman said. “This was just a business trip. We went up there just to even our record and to prepare for Sunday’s game.”
The Colonials will travel to Radford University (2-1-1) Sunday with a .500 record after losing three straight to Duke, N.C. State and St. Francis universities.
“This will help us for Sunday’s game because we had lost our first home game and we needed this,” Andrade said, crediting his team for turning up the pressure on Monmouth (1-4) in the second half and overtime. “Hopefully this will turn our season around and we can use it as a momentum booster.”
Andrade’s goal marked his return as one of the team’s most prominent attack players. The junior forward, who had been recovering from an injury that sidelined him for four games last season, said the goal was an important one for him.
“Scoring the goal felt really good because it’s been a while,” he said. “This was something I had been waiting for.”
GW gained a quick 1-0 lead when sophomore Rob Kirchner converted senior Matt Osborne’s pass in the 10th minute. The Colonials held the Hawks scoreless for the remainder of the half.
The Hawks tied the game 21 minutes into the second half, but the Colonials quickly struck back eight minutes later. Osborne notched his second goal of the game after Goldman recovered a missed penalty kick, passed it to Evans, who then assisted on the goal. GW’s lead was short-lived as the Hawks tied 2-2 two minutes later.
Goldman praised his team for staying focused until the end of the game.
“They were a tough team,” he said. “This shows a lot about our team because everyone stuck through it until the end.”
The Colonials look to improve their record at Radford Sunday at 1 p.m.
