Goshen, IN — Following Saturday night’s regular-season home finale against Mid-Central Conference rival Marian College, Goshen head coach Tavi Mounsithiraj had his team line up, hold hands and take a collective bow for the fans at the Goshen College Soccer Complex.

It was a fitting gesture, given the performance.

Goshen (11-5-1, 5-1-1) came up with a huge, 2-1 overtime decision over the 20th-ranked Knights, keeping the squad in contention for the regular-season MCC Championship and guaranteeing the team a first-round home match in MCC Tournament play. After suffering its worst loss in two seasons just three days earlier — Goshen fell at Indiana Wesleyan by a 0-4 count Wednesday; click here for recap — the Leafs held on to a “must win” Saturday, giving Mounsithiraj his first overtime win since the 2002 season.

“This was a very good result for us beating the 20th-ranked NAIA team in the country and a very good Marian club,” Mounsithiraj said. “I was pleased to see that we came out playing like we are capable of playing. The loss to IWU was a wake up call for all of us.”

The squad’s effort may have been expedited through the honoring of the team’s 10 seniors prior to kickoff, as it was a possibility that Goshen could finish as low as fifth in the MCC’s final regular-season standings before the game. With seniors Joel Miller, Jesse Woodworth, Craig Welscott, Ashe Abebe, Eric Bixler Adam Yoder, Jesse Johnson, Rueben Yoder, Jared Price and Branden Wengerd all playing in what could have been their final contest at the Goshen College Soccer Complex, the team — and the seniors — came out on a mission.

Moments into the match Woodworth chipped the ball into the Marian 18-yard box, only for Miller to head the ball toward the baseline. Bixler redirected the ball with a diving header of his own, and Marian’s defense cleared the ball at the last possible moment. For Mounsithiraj, it was a series that set the tone.

“That play set the stage for us,” Mounsithiraj said. “Right off the opening whistle we knew we needed to win out the rest of the season, and the rest of the season started tonight.”

Junior Tony Janzen made his presence felt at the 19th minute-mark, taking a throw-in from Bixler and banging a shot into the back of the net from just inside the Knights’ 18-yard box, giving Goshen a 1-0 lead. Playing in a more accustomed role — that being with a lead — the Leafs’ defense was stagnant for the remainder of the first period, with Welscott thwarting a pair of Marian run-outs by attacking the ball and meeting it at the edge of the Leafs’ box.

“Our defensive team continued to keep the Marian side at bay for the rest of the first half,” Mounsithiraj said. “We continued to push forward in the second half to try to add on to our lead but Marian was ready.”

The Knights responded with an equalizer goal in the game’s 57th minute, as a shot from nearly the same location as Janzen’s fluttered past a crowd and Welscott to tie the game at 1-1.

Solid defense from the rejuvenated Marian side kept Goshen at bay for the remainder of regulation, as the Knights’ stopped significant run-outs from Janzen and two perfectly placed corner kicks from sophomore Garet Osterloo, keeping the scoreboard lit at 1-1.

Goshen was heading to overtime with Marian for the third time in as many contests.

Of those three, the Leafs had won none.

“Lately overtimes have not been very good to us,” said Mounsithiraj, whose last OT win came during the 2002 season. “Before the overtime started I told the team that a tie will not do us any good if we are going to have a chance at another MCC title. We made some personnel changes by pushing Joel Miller from defender to midfield and playing with only three defenders to help generate offense.”

It worked.

Sophomore forward Cody Felton received a through ball from Bixler with a little over two minutes left in the first extra stanza, dribbled twice and fired a laser into the upper right corner of the Marian net, sending the Knights’ players to their knees and the Goshen fans to jubilation. After posting a 0-0-9 record in overtime matches over the last four seasons — including a 2-4 penalty kick decision to Marian in last year’s season-ending MCC Tournament semi-final (click here for recap) — Goshen had survived for a chance defend its 2005 MCC Co-Championship.

“This was such a great win for our seniors because we have never beaten Marian since I have been here,” said Mounsithiraj, who had a 0-3-3 coaching record against the Knights prior to Saturday. “Joel Miller continues to play like an MVP candidate and I was pleased to see all the seniors contribute to the win. We still have a tough match left, but we will continue to do our best to get ourselves in the best position for the MCC Tournament.”

Goshen will next travel to Spring Arbor University on Tuesday, for a make-up match originally scheduled for Sept. 24. Regardless of Tuesday’s result, the Leafs are now mathematically guaranteed no lower than third in the final conference regular-season standings. In order to repeat as MCC champs, Goshen will need to win at Spring Arbor and hope for an Indiana Wesleyan - Bethel College tie or Indiana Wesleyan win Tuesday night. Those scenarios would give Goshen a MCC Co-Championship. A Wesleyan win would make IWU and Goshen co-champs; a tie would make Bethel and Goshen co-champs. An IWU-Bethel tie would give Goshen the number one seed for the upcoming MCC Tournament, however, Any other result would pit Goshen as the second seed.

For now, the Leafs can only worry about their own destiny, as those scenarios are all dependent on Goshen winning Tuesday. Match time at Spring Arbor is set for 4 p.m.