This post was written by Hatchet staff writer Ellee Watson.

Men’s soccer emerged from a battle of attrition with its third consecutive win Tuesday, edging No. 22 Navy 2-1 in double overtime.

A foul in the 107th minute of play gave senior captain Andri Alexandersson a free kick and his first goal of the season. The ball arched over a wall of Midshipmen before clanging into the crossbar and redirecting into the back corner of the net.

The match was especially physical, with 36 fouls recorded by the end of the game. A yellow card by Navy junior P.J. Suess handed a free kick attempt to Alexandersson just minutes before the end of the double-overtime period.

“I told my teammates at full time that I would score for them,” Alexandersson said, adding that the Colonials had to “work their socks off” against the nationally ranked Navy team.

Navy came into the game ranked 12th in the nation in scoring offense with 2.40 goals per game and 7th in assists with 2.80 per game. Meanwhile, GW entered the match 24th and 17th in the nation with 2.0 goals and assists per game.

The Colonials, who lost to Navy 3-0 last season, held the Midshipmen to a 1-1 tie at the end of regulation.

While the Midshipmen had more scoring opportunities than the Colonials, outshooting GW 19-9 in the game, junior goalkeeper Jean-Pierre van der Merwe held Navy to just a single goal through 106 minutes of play. Van der Merwe recorded seven saves on the night.

The Colonials’ defensive stability Tuesday allowed the offense to combine passes and maintain possession, creating a rhythm but rarely leading to shots on goal.

In the last five minutes of the first half, the Colonials strung together passes to create an opportunity for sophomore Garrett Heine to score his third goal of the season.

Heine’s goal came in the 40th minute after junior forward Phillip McQuitty struck a well-placed cross on the ground that Navy goalie Mac Burke could not hold onto. Heine quickly placed the ball into the left corner of the goal, giving the Colonials a 1-0 lead at the game’s halfway point

The Midshipmen entered the second half looking for an equalizer. They didn’t waste any time, and in the 47th minute, tied the game after sophomore Thomas Shiba rocketed a ball past van Der Merwe to bring the score to 1-1.

GW played a physical game, totaling 21 fouls and receiving four yellow cards by the end of the match. McQuitty, freshman Alex Conning, sophomore Tobi Adewole and senior Matthew Scott all earned write-ups.