CAMBRIDGE, Mass. – Rivier University senior Kyle Gambeski (Bedford, N.H.) buried a penalty kick with 26-seconds left on the clock in the first overtime period to lift the Raiders over Lesley University in non-conference action today at Edward Field.
A foul inside the Lesley 18-yard box on the heels of a Raiders corner kick opportunity set up the PK and Gambeski knocked the shot to the lower left side of the goal for the game-winner.
The win improves the Raiders to 4-4-1 on the season while the loss drops the Lynx – who entered overtime for the fourth time this season – to 1-8-1 overall.
It was Lesley who had the majority of chances in the first half, but it was Rivier who jumped ahead in the first half. Sophomore Christopher Buzan (Dunstable, Mass.) connected with a leaping header off a corner kick from senior Alex Armstrong (Wakefield, R.I.) at 22:01 to give the Raiders a 1-0 edge.
The Lynx had a myriad of chances to pull ahead earlier in the half. Junior Angel Ruiz (Phoenix, Ariz.) settled a pass from classmate Nuno Pereira (Dorchester, Mass.) at the top of the box and released a laser that rung off the crossbar. Two minutes later it was Ruiz who set up an opportunity for senior Wilton Zuo (Dorchester, Mass.) when he played a pass inside the left of the box. Zuo's attempt was corralled by Rivier keeper Collin Deyarmin (Raymond, N.H.).
Lesley outshot their counterparts by an 11-1 margin and held a 3-2 edge in corner kick opportunities.
Lesley finally got on the board after the intermission in the 61st minute. Pereira and Ruiz worked a give-and-go into the left side of the box and Pereira navigated his way around Deyarmin and evened the match at 1-1 with his fourth tally of the season.
Ten minutes later, Pereira nearly connected for the go-ahead goal as he received a through-ball from senior Harrison Sidell (Newhall, Calif.) and released an off-balanced shot, but Deyarmin made a sprawling kick save to keep the match tied.
The Lynx had another near-miss in the 86th minute when freshman Ben Heischuber (Holliston, Mass.) sent a screamer from 20-yards out that curled just over the bar.
Lesley held the majority of possession for the majority of the afternoon and finished with a 24-3 advantage in shots over Rivier. Deyarmin earned his fourth victory of the season between the pipes and turned away six shot attempts.
The Lynx will be back in action on Wednesday when they travel to Pine Manor College for a non-conference affair at 3:30p.