UTICA, NY – The SUNYIT men's soccer team took sole possession of first place in the NEAC standings with a thrilling 2-1 overtime victory over Penn State Harrisburg at the Wildcat Soccer Field Saturday.  Both teams entered the contest tied for first with 3-0 records in conference play, leaving SUNYIT at 4-0 in the NEAC and 7-3 overall with the victory, while Harrisburg fell to 3-1 in the NEAC and 7-2 overall.

Harrisburg was able to strike first when freshman Justin Henderson scored in the box off a cross pass from senior Brendan Garner at 36:14, and Harrisburg would eventually take the 1-0 lead into halftime.

The Wildcats were able to tie the game 13 minutes into the second half when freshman Diego Montaleza (New York, NY/MLK) blasted an indirect kick from midfield that allowed senior Daniel Twumasi (Brooklyn, NY/James Madison) to score his team-best fifth goal of the season.

The second half would end with the game tied at one to send the contest into overtime.  Montaleza would again come up big, sending a beautiful cross pass from the right wing to freshman Josh Kimber (Chittenango, NY/Chittenango), who blasted a header past Harrisburg goalie Josh Wolff three minutes into the extra frame to give SUNYIT the victory. 

Montaleza's two assists on the day gave him a team-best seven on the year.  Freshman Malick Faye (Bronx, NY/MLK) made six saves on the day, while Wolff had two saves for Harrisburg.

The Wildcats will look to continue their winning ways tomorrow when they host their newest NEAC rival Gallaudet University.  Game time is scheduled for 2:00 pm.