Thibaut Bourrier scored twice and Antoine Ravera netted the Golden Goal five minutes into overtime as Urbana University’s men’s soccer team defeated Gannon, 3-2, Wednesday afternoon at Urbana University Stadium.
The Blue Knights (1-1) picked up their first win in the home opener while the visiting Golden Knights dropped to 0-3 on the young season.
UU led 2-1 after Bourrier’s second goal came in the 80th minute off a feed from Moyin Ogunjobi. With Gannon down a man due to a red card, UU tried to hang on but the visitors came through on a set piece from the left end of the box with only 41.5 seconds left in regulation.
The Blue Knights responded well with energy and pace in the extra period. Bourrier found Ravera in the box, and the Blue Knights’ leading scorer sealed the win by depositing the game-winner into the bottom right pocket from close range.
Ravera now leads UU with three goals in two games. He also picked up the assist after his corner kick in the 61st minute set up Bourrier’s header goal to make the score 1-1. Gannon scored first on a penalty kick in the 55th minute.
UU keeper Daniel McNicholas faced six shots on frame and provided four saves. The Blue Knights were narrowly outshot 17-15 with five attempts on goal.
Corner kicks were even at 5-5 and UU was whistled for 12 fouls and GU with seven.
“With 15 new players in the group, I wish we had another 10 preseason games, said UU head coach Nick Roberts. “After two games, we are nowhere near understanding how we play yet, but on the positive side, we went out against a pretty good team and were able to grind a win out.
“There’s no doubt this team is talented and can become something special. It’s just going to come down to how quickly can we get there.”
UU defeated Gannon in overtime for the second straight year. Last season, the Blue Knights escaped 1-0 on the road against a nationally-ranked Gannon squad. Former standout Lars Blenckers scored the game-winner in that contest.
UU opens league play Friday night at West Virginia Wesleyan. Kick off is set for 7 p.m. The Bobcats (1-0) defeated the Blue Knights 1-0 in the previous meeting between the two teams last October to snap a seven-game win streak for UU.
