SPRINGFIELD, Mo. – There may be some controversy as to who actually scored the goal on Wednesday night, but there's no question to its importance as a 91^st-minute overtime winner gave the University of Evansville men's soccer team a 2-1 victory over Drake in the quarterfinal round of the Missouri Valley Conference Championship at Betty and Bobby Allison South Stadium on the campus of Missouri State University.
 
"I thought I may have gotten a touch on it, but honestly, the only important thing is that we won," said UE leading scorer Ian McGrath. "We have a pretty young team right now. Not a lot of guys have experienced winning in the postseason, and really, the older guys haven't experienced it either."
 
The victory, which moved the Aces to 10-7-3 overall, secures the team's first 10 win-season since 2013. It also marks the first postseason victory for the squad since a 2-1 overtime win over Missouri State in 2009.
 
"It's always nice to get to double-digit wins because that's hard to do in a college season," UE head coach Marshall Ray said. "It's a mark you always strive for because it represents a productive season. It's a testament to our players and staff, and I think our seniors from last year are a part of this as well. It's a building process, and our group is maturing. Hopefully we can grab a couple more wins."
 
While the Aces were ultimately victorious, the team was put on the back foot early thanks to an Antonio Sanchez strike just five minutes into the game.
 
McGrath, who scored twice in the last nine minutes to lead the Aces to a win over Drake last month, put the team back on track with a strike from outside the box seven minutes later. It was the 10^th goal of the season for the junior out of New Lenox, Ill., which ranks as the highest-scoring single season for a UE player since Dan Broxup found the net 10 times in 2003.
 
"We've definitely dealt with some resilience this season," Ray said. "We've had to come from behind for some of our big wins this season, and Drake gave us everything they could today. We have to do a better job, and Ian was big for us again. He's brought us back in a lot of games this season. It's always great to see a player get to 10 goals, but it's even more impressive for a guy like Ian who plays in the midfield."
 
"It really hurts us when we go down like that, but I think, in a way, it can wake us up too," McGrath said. "We were able to get the equalizer, and we played with a lot of energy to get back into it."

"Coach has been moving me up the pitch sometimes this season, and I love being close to the goal," McGrath continued. " I knew that I'd be expected to be involved in a couple chances, and it was good play from Simon [Waever] to cut in like he did. He's a fast kid who can dribble past a lot of players, and he was able to find me. I knew if I got a good touch, I might be able to catch the keeper off-guard."
 
The nervy moments for either side continued as the first half wore on. The Aces enjoyed the bulk of possession for much of the opening 45 minutes, but a late Bulldog flurry saw goalkeeper Frederik Reimer called into action to make two of his four stops on the day.
 
Following the break, the Aces started feel unlucky with the chances they were creating, especially late, as Eric McDougal and Jesse Stafford Lacey each hit a post in the last eight minutes of regulation.
 
That would all change quickly.
 
A foul well outside of the box on Stafford Lacey just 15 seconds into overtime set up a free kick for Zac Blaydes. The sophomore, who had also scored in UE's trip to Springfield last month, saw his cross take a big bounce in the center of the box before squeezing inside the far post. The goal was credited to Blaydes, his third on the year, but a crashing McGrath, who physically ran into the post in his effort to get his head to the ball, also claimed credit for the winner.
 
"When those two chances went off the post at the end of the half, I thought it could end up a long day, but you have to give credit to the guys for bouncing back," Ray said. "It seems like Jesse is always involved in earning a foul from those positions, and whether it was Ian or Zac who scored the goal, they seem to link up a lot when we're in need of a score."
 
UE will return to action with the semifinal round on Friday at 3 p.m. It's a rematch of last weekend's regular season finale, which saw the Aces draw 1-1 with SIUE.
 

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NOTES: The Aces were playing in their first MVC tournament match since 2014 … UE is now 6-15-2 all-time in the event … UE will be playing in the conference semis for just the sixth time in school history and first time since 2009 … UE's six victories away from Evansville rank as the most since 2009 … The seven-win overall improvement from last season is now tied for the second-largest turnaround in school history, matching the mark that was set in 2006 … The Aces are 13-15-2 all-time against Drake and 1-4-0 in MVC tournament matches versus the Bulldogs … UE and SIUE have never met in the conference tournament … UE is 6-9-3 overall against the Cougars … Since 1979, the Aces are now 5-2-0 on Nov. 9 and 1-3-0 on the 11^th.
 
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