EATON, Ohio — Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College erased an early two-goal deficit and scored three unanswered goals to defeat Indiana University East 3-2 in its River States Conference opener Saturday afternoon.
Andres Gomes began the comeback before halftime,
Nikolas Kellner pulled the Pomeroys level early in the second half and
Jacobo Galvez completed the turnaround with the game-winning penalty kick in the 67th minute.
Marc Valderrama assisted on each of SMWC's first two goals, while
Mats Flick led the attack with six shots, including three on goal. Goalkeeper
Harry Jackson made three saves as the Pomeroys improved to 4-3-2 overall and 1-0 in conference play.
IU East struck first in the 16th minute when Filipe Godoi finished a pass from Braylen Nies-Williams. Aiden Billiter doubled the Red Wolves' advantage less than six minutes later, giving the hosts a 2-0 lead in the 22nd minute.
SMWC quickly went to work cutting into the deficit. Flick forced goalkeeper Elijah Williamson into a save in the 25th minute, and the Pomeroys broke through less than two minutes later. Valderrama created the opportunity for Gomes, who found the net in the 27th minute to bring SMWC within 2-1.
The Pomeroys continued applying pressure throughout the remainder of the half. Flick put another attempt on frame in the 31st minute, while
Ethan Johnson tested Williamson just before halftime.
SMWC carried that momentum into the second half and needed only three minutes to equalize. Valderrama delivered his second assist of the match to Kellner, who scored in the 48th minute to make it 2-2.
Flick continued to challenge the IU East defense, placing another shot on goal in the 56th minute before sending two more attempts toward the net over the next 10 minutes.
The Pomeroys completed the comeback in the 67th minute. After SMWC earned a penalty kick, Galvez converted from the spot to give the Pomeroys their first lead of the afternoon at 3-2.
SMWC nearly added to its advantage when Galvez put another shot on goal in the 78th minute. At the other end, Jackson preserved the lead by stopping Keylin Hyman's attempt in the 83rd minute before the Pomeroy defense shut down IU East's remaining opportunities.
The Pomeroys outshot the Red Wolves 17-14 and held an 8-5 advantage in shots on goal. SMWC also earned all three corner kicks in the match.
Saint Mary-of-the-Woods returns to RSC action Thursday, Oct. 8, with a road match against the University of Rio Grande. Kickoff is scheduled for 7 p.m. in Rio Grande, Ohio.
