The Washington University men’s soccer team won its second straight home game, beating local rival Fontbonne University, 3-2, in overtime Tuesday at Francis Field. Senior forward Ryan Sproule played the role of hero, tying the game in the 89th minute and then winning it in the 94th.

Grace Bruton | Student Life

Senior forward Ryan Sproule scores the Bears’ first goal in a 2-0 win over Wartburg College last Friday. Tuesday night, Sproule scored a game-winning goal in overtime against Fontbonne.

Sophomore midfielder Sean Connors had the first goal of the game for the Bears, scoring unassisted in the 21st minute. This was also the first goal of Connors’s career. The score lingered at 1-0 for the remainder of the half.

It wasn’t until deep into the second that Fontbonne tied the score. Brendan Kopff had an incredible shot 30 yards from the goal, flying past freshman goalkeeper Matt Martin—making his first career start—in the 66th minute. Shortly after came a second goal for Fontbonne, this time from Jared Lyeki, giving the Griffins a 2-1 advantage.

“Fontbonne had a good strategy,” said head coach Joe Clarke. “You don’t often pull games out like that, when you’re down by a goal with two minutes left.”

But the Bears were determined in this battle of Big Bend Boulevard. Clarke continuously reminded them to “stay urgent,” and they took this advice to heart. At the final hour, senior Ben Strozewski had a seamless cross to Sproule, who tied the game in the 89th minute.

Neither team let up in the final two minutes of regulation play, and the game moved into overtime.

“This was a challenging game for us, but a very, very good one,” Clarke said.

The Bears moved into overtime with fortitude and fervor. No time was wasted when junior midfielder Makio Yamamoto had a corner kick to Sproule, whose score in the fourth minute of overtime won the game for Wash. U. The Bears celebrate a freshly-started win streak and look forward to the rest of the season.

As Clarke looks at the rest of the season, he hopes that it will be “not quite as stressful.” He acknowledged the difficulty of their impending schedule, yet he has confidence in the potential of the team.

“I think we can become very, very good,” he said. “But we have a ways to go.”

The Bears will hope home field continues to treat them well when they take on Wheaton College at Francis in a Saturday nightcap.