ASHLAND, VA – Hampden-Sydney played a solid 91 minutes and 26 seconds of soccer only to watch the Cardinals of Catholic University slip away with an overtime 3-2 victory in the first round of the Randolph-Macon College Classic Tournament. The Tigers drop to 0-2 on the season.

Hampden-Sydney took an early lead when freshman Brian Peters (Sterling, VA/Broad Run) headed the ball into the net off a perfect cross from Robert Harem (Pelham, AL/Pelham) just 9:28 into the game. The score remained 1-0 heading into the half.

The Tigers struck again off a corner kick at 57:40. Harem chalked up another assist on the play, this time setting up Junior Rob Johnson (Ft. Monmouth, NJ/Monmouth Regional) for an impressive header to put H-SC up 2-0.

Hampden-Sydney controlled the game and the momentum until a questionable handball call was made inside the box leading to a penalty kick for Catholic. Dan Kane (Salisbury, MD) converted the penalty kick to bring the Cardinals within one.

With just under 10 minutes to play Catholic's Dan Finn (Alexandria, VA) fired a shot that deflected off a H-SC player and found its way into the net tying the game 2-2, and forcing overtime.

Catholic struck quickly in the sudden death overtime. Junior Stephen Raab (E. Williston, NY) found the net for the game-winning goal after just 1:26 in OT off a pass from freshman Phil Baertlein (Denver, CO). H-SC walked off the field stunned as the 3-2 loss drops their record to 0-2.

Hampden-Sydney out shot the Cardinals 20-13, putting 11 of the 20 shots on goal. Both teams had equal opportunity on corner kicks, five-a-piece.

H-SC returns to Randolph-Macon tomorrow to match up with Marymount in the second round of the tournament starting at 2:30 pm. The Tigers continue their stretch of games on the road through the next two weeks but return home September 18 to host Eastern Mennonite at 1 pm.