KALAMAZOO, Mich. – It wasn't easy and it took nearly 110 minutes to pull out a win, but the Kalamazoo College men's soccer team finished the job Tuesday evening against the visiting Alma College Scots.
Tied 1-1 in extra time, Kalamazoo earned a free kick at midfield with just under one minute remaining, and if the result stood, each team would have walked away with a point. Pushing nearly the entire team to the top of Alma's 18, Antonio Pisto received Joshua Robison's short free kick on the right flank and served a driven diagonal ball into the mix. A flick from Cal Kirchen found Roger Mason Darling alone on the back post and with 13 seconds remaining, Darling's finish propelled the Hornets to a 2-1 win.
With the result and the coinciding results from around the MIAA, Kalamazoo now sits in fourth place in the league.
The team's entered the second half of play Tuesday night at MacKenzie Field level at 0-0 but the Scots were the first to make the breakthrough in the 54th minute as Josh Carolan corralled a loose ball in the 18 and drove a ball into the back of the net.
But it was Kirchen, the reigning MIAA offensive player of the week, who got the Hornets back in the contest. Kyle Hernandez played a square ball finding Kirchen at the penalty spot and Kirchen leveled the score, ultimately leading to the Hornets win in extra time.
Kalamazoo managed to carry play throughout the night placing six shots on frame compared to Alma's two.
The Hornets, now 5-2-2 in the conference, will look to win their fifth straight match when they host Calvin on Homecoming. Kickoff is scheduled for 2:30 this Saturday.