Goshen, IN — At first glance, the scene looked eerily familiar.

There were the students rushing the field at the Goshen College Soccer Complex, brimming with joy that Goshen had just knocked off its cross-town rival Bethel College. There was the scoreboard, displaying a memorable 2-1 message for all to see. And there was Leafs’ head coach Tavi Mounsithiraj, gleefully kicking a ball into the stands and leading his team in a rendition of Ole! Ole! in thanking the fans for their tremendous support.

It seemed to be an exact replication of Oct. 4, when Goshen defeated Bethel (click here for related article) for the first time in Mounsithiraj’s six-year tenure at the helm of the program.

Except this time, it was even sweeter.

With its season and the careers of 10 impeccable seniors at stake, Goshen triumphed with a 2-1 win over 20th-ranked Bethel College in Mid-Central Conference Tournament semi-final action Wednesday night, extending its season to the MCC Tournament championship match for the second time in three years. Following a match filled with enough dramatic twists and turns to make a Hollywood movie producer flinch, it was Goshen (13-5-2, 6-1-1) that somehow came out on top in an epic battle of soccer greats.

“This has been a very exciting week for our program,” Mounsithiraj said following Wednesday’s win. “First with the PK win over St. Francis (click here for article) and now this? This is what you play for. We just don’t want to stop playing yet.”

It was obvious that those individuals over-packing the Goshen College Soccer Complex stands were in for a doozy of a match-up from the outset of Wednesday’s match, as both second-seeded Goshen and third-seeded Bethel arrived determined. Exchanges on both ends of the field yielded quality looks at both goals, with Goshen coming the closest to scoring early: Following an indirect kick, freshman Kyle Stiffney registered a shot on goal that was deflected by Pilots’ keeper Scott Terry. Senior Joel Miller came up with the loose change in the box, but a Bethel defender slid in at the last possible moment to deter what would have been a sure goal for Goshen.

“I thought we came out playing better than Bethel did,” Mounsithiraj said of the game’s opening minutes. “That set piece got us a couple great shots on goal, but Bethel’s back line is very good.”

With junior Tony Janzen continually pressing forward and Bethel’s Oscar Lomeli and Raymundo Gonzalez doing the same, a first-half stalemate was reached, with neither team breaking into the scoring column.

“We were playing fairly well in the first half,” Mounsithiraj said. “Bethel is always dangerous up front with Lomeli and Gonzalez leading the attack. We felt pretty good about the scoreless tie (at halftime). Our hope was that if we cannot score in the first half, let’s not let them score. Let’s take the game into the second 45 (minutes) and have our shot.”

Just 12 minutes into the second period, Goshen did just that.

Stiffney received a beautiful cross from senior Eric Bixler and, thanks largely to a Bethel defensive communication lapse, drove home a shot into the back of an unguarded net for a 1-0 Leafs’ advantage.

“(Bethel) misplayed Bixler’s ball and fortunately Kyle was there to blast it in for us,” Mounsithiraj said. “After that score, I kept encouraging our guys. With Bethel being down 1-0, they had nothing to lose. They would be in the attack mode, and we had to be cautious with our chances.”

Now relying on its vaunted defensive team of Miller, seniors Adam Yoder, Jared Price, Craig Welscott and sophomore Rusty Emery, the Leafs dug in. Bethel continued to pressure as time wore on, but each occasion was answered with clutch clearances from the Leafs’ defense.

But then, at the game’s 76th minute-mark, it happened.

As Goshen cleared the ball toward center midfield, Bethel’s Alex Gonzalez was waiting. Streaking toward the ball, Gonzalez one-touched a liner from 45 yards away that did everything but perform figure-eight in mid air.

The ball buckled downward suddenly, sunk just below the crossbar, and went into the back of the net to tie the game at 1-1 with 14 minutes to play.

Mounsithiraj would later call it one of the most incredible goals scored in the history of the Goshen College Soccer Complex.

“There are not too many players that can do that,” Mounsithiraj said of Gonzalez’s score. “We cannot fault anyone for giving up that goal. It was amazing. What I was most pleased with, though, is how we reacted after the game was tied.”

Incredibly, Goshen nearly recaptured the lead just seconds after witnessing a World Cup-like goal scored on its own net.

Taking the ensuing kick off, Janzen fired a pass to sophomore Cody Felton, who fed Stiffney down the right side of the field. Stiffney sent a beautiful cross to Bixler on the far side of Bethel’s 18-yard box, but the senior forward could not finish. Bixler paced a slow roller toward the far post, missing the goal by mere inches.

“Even though Eric missed that shot, those are the kinds of things that say a lot about our team,” Mounsithiraj said. “We give up a goal and we start attacking right away. Good teams react like that.”

Still facing a 1-1 deadlock, Goshen continued to attack. Eventually taking 11 shots on goal and eight corner kicks — Bethel recorded six and four, respectively — it was Janzen who again wore down the Bethel backfield, chasing down a long ball at the game’s 81st minute and being fouled inside the Pilots’ 18-yard box.

With a penalty kick looming — and the Goshen crowd rising to a fever pitch — senior midfielder Jesse Woodworth stepped up to try the PK.

The Pilots’ Terry was ready.

Diving to his left, Terry made a remarkable save, deflecting Woodworth’s attempt at the lower right post. Bethel’s defenders cleared the ensuing chaos, dodging a major bullet and keeping its season alive.

Again, Mounsithiraj summoned his squad’s best effort.

“We talk a lot about the name on the front of the uniform being the only thing,” Mounsithiraj said. “Even though Jesse was upset that he could not score the PK, we were fairly comfortable with where we were. Tony was an absolute handful all night, and our offense was running well. We all wanted another chance, and we did not want to think about how important that (missed) shot was at the end of the day.”

Thanks to Felton, Goshen didn’t have to.

With a similar relentlessness that followed the Gonzalez score, Goshen continued to press forward following the penalty kick debacle. Just three minutes later it was Woodworth who sent a long ball to Felton, who dribbled downfield with Janzen to his left. As Woodworth lay on the ground in pain — he collided with a Bethel player just moments after sending the ball to Felton — it was Felton that put on a show, dribbling through three Pilot defenders before sliding a shot past Terry in remarkable fashion.

Laying on the ground, Woodworth could not see the ball go into the back of Bethel’s net. The crowd noise, however, told the entire story.

“Cody finished a shot from 12 yards out that was incredible,” Mounsithiraj said. “Cody is so good with the ball in tight spaces. It seems like the ball sticks to his feet more than anyone else that I know of. Right after he scored that goal we felt very comfortable.”

Trailing 2-1, Bethel put everything it had into the final six minutes of play. For the most part, Goshen denied the Pilots any quality looks at the net, save for one, heart-stopping shot by Lomeli with just minutes remaining.

Operating at the right side of Goshen’s 18-yard box, Lomeli carved an arching shot that rose to the top corner of the far post. With cat-like quickness and agility, Welscott extended fully to redirect the ball out of harm’s way, getting a rousing ovation from the crowd.

With the save, Goshen had effectively advanced to the MCC Tournament Championship.

“Craig has made some great saves for us during his career, but when you take into account the magnitude of the situation and the game being on the line, I’m not sure I can come up with a bigger one,” Mounsithiraj said.

With the final horn sounding and the crowd spilling onto the field, it was still uncertain what news lie in waiting from Marion, where number one seed Indiana Wesleyan University was taking on fifth seeded Spring Arbor University in the other MCC semi final. Just moments after the Leafs’ celebration had ended, it was made known that Spring Arbor’s streak of upsets had continued: The Cougars had knocked off Wesleyan by a 1-0 score.

“We would have liked to have a chance to play IWU for the championship to prove that our 4-0 loss to them (click here for article) was a fluke,” Mounsithiraj said. “Now, we have to get ready for a tough Spring Arbor team that is playing very, very well.”

The Spring Arbor – Wesleyan result produced both good news and bad news for Goshen. On the positive side, the Leafs will now host the MCC Tournament Championship match this Saturday night. On the contrary, Goshen must win for a guaranteed trip to NAIA regional play. Had Wesleyan defeated Spring Arbor, Goshen would be guaranteed a trip to regional play by simply showing up for the championship match as a result of Wesleyan already claiming a bid via its regular-season title.

“I thought that Eric Bixler, Kyle Stiffney, (sophomore) Garet Osterloo and Tony Janzen all did a great job for us in the midfield tonight,” Mounsithiraj said. “This is very exciting for our program, having a shot at a conference tournament championship. It’s a testament to our senior leadership that we’re in this position, and our young players have fed off of that.”

Goshen will host Spring Arbor Saturday night in the MCC Tournament Championship. Match time is set for 7 p.m. Tickets are $5 for adults and $2 for students. As with the first two rounds of the league tournament, the Goshen College Student Life Department will be covering the cost of the first 150 Goshen students through the gate. Gates will open at 6 p.m. Advance ticket sales are not available.