Tiffin, Ohio - The University of Findlay men's soccer team took on Thomas More University on Thursday, Nov. 14 in the Great Midwest Athletic Conference (G-MAC) Tournament Semifinals.  In a cold, wet, and windy affair, the Oilers advance on penalty kicks after a 4-4 tie in regulation and two overtimes. In a true marathon of game, the Orange and Black were able to overcome both the conditions and the opponents to earn a spot in the G-MAC tournament championship game for the first time in school history.

The first 90 minutes of play were filled with non-stop action and very little defense.  The Oilers would take an early 2-0 lead after goals from Maciej Gaszynski and Christian Palushaj in the 8th and 24th minutes.  This lead would not last for long, as the Saints answered very quickly with two goals of their own in the 29th and 41st minute to end the first half with a 2-2 score.

The scoring would not halt in the second half, as Thomas More would take a 3-2 lead in the 67th minute.  The Oilers refused to give in, with David Cubillos finding the back of the net in the 80th minute to tie it back up at 3-3.  Findlay would add another just two minutes later, as senior Brendan Ash created a turnover near the net of the Saints on a throw-in and found the back of the net for his eighth goal of the season.  Just as the Oilers began to sense the victory, a crucial mistake was made as an attempt to clear from goalkeeper Keegan Grant found the back of Thomas More's Finn Battenstein and ricocheted in for a Saints goal with just three minutes to play.

Much different from regulation, the two overtime periods did not produce any scoring as both offenses struggled to muster opportunities. After a pair of ten-minute periods, the game would move on to be decided by penalty kicks.  

As to be expected in PKs with as much on the line as in this contest, the period was full of action and excitement.  The shutout saw 12 consecutive makes, including a goal from Findlay's Cedrik Rodach that barely snuck in after a bounce on the top crossbar and was ruled a goal after some discussion from the referees.  Knotted at four makes each, Thomas More would miss their attempt to take the lead high over the crossbar, opening the door for Christian Palushaj to walk it off for the Oilers and give them the victory in a thrilling finish.  Not to be overlooked in all the action was Goalkeeper of the Year Keegan Grant for Findlay, who had a pair of huge saves in the shootout to keep his team in the match.

The Oilers will be back in action for the championship game on Saturday, Nov. 16 at 1 pm.  This game will also take place on the campus of Tiffin University.  Their opponent will be determined after the second semi final taking place between Tiffin University and Kentucky Wesleyan University.