ASHLAND, Va. -- Junior Kavin Wood (Cary, NC) found sophomore Broder Conley (Duluth, GA) for the game-winning goal in triple overtime to secure Hampden-Sydney College a 9-8 win over Randolph-Macon College in the Old Dominion Athletic Conference (ODAC) opener on Saturday afternoon at Day Field.
 
H-SC jumped out to an early lead less than two minutes in, as freshman Nick Wilkins (Glen Allen) took the ball over midfield on a clear and nobody picked him up as he drove towards the net, eventually stopping and firing home his first career goal. Randolph-Macon answered back, scoring two unanswered, with the second goal coming with 57 seconds remaining. The Tigers answered back; despite falling behind and only having 57 seconds to work with, as senior Davis Mack (Henrico) got the pass on the left side of the crease from Wood and fired it home to level the scores. Six seconds later, the Tigers restored the lead as Conley took the ball from behind the net all the way up top before firing a bounced shot past the goalie to give H-SC a 3-2 lead after 15 minutes.
 
The Yellow Jackets opened the scoring in the second quarter, scoring off the initial face-off but the Tigers answered back at the 12:49 mark when Mack found Wood slashing towards the cage for the lefty finish. Just under 10 minutes later, freshman Brown Parker (Raleigh, NC) got the ball top right and beat his man and drove towards the net, beating the keeper just underneath the crossbar to give H-SC a 5-3 lead going into halftime.
 
Randolph-Macon came out firing in the third quarter, scoring the quarter's first four goals to take a 7-5 lead. Sophomore Cole Palmer (Atlanta, GA) helped cut into the Yellow Jacket lead when he picked up the loose ball on an errant pass, beat two defenders, and beat the goalie falling over to his right. The Tigers leveled the scoring less than two minutes later, as on the man-advantage, sophomore Nick Winchell (Wilmington, DE) found Parker wide open on the right side for him to catch and fire home the shot and make it 7-7 going into the final 15 minutes.


Randolph-Macon grabbed the lead back less than two minutes into the fourth quarter, with the Tigers taking their time to answer but knotting the game up with exactly two minutes remaining as Wood dodged behind the net, and as he popped out to the right, he found Mack, who was just getting off the ground, and he flung the ball backhanded past the goalie. That was a pivotal goal for the Tigers as it tied the game and forced it to overtime, tied at eight.
 
It took almost 12 minutes and into the third overtime, but the Tigers found the winner with 17 seconds remaining, when Wood found Conley free on top of the middle of the crease, where he spun and backhanded it past the goalie to win the game 9-8.
 
Conley and Parker each scored twice, while Mack scored twice and added an assist. Wood scored one goal and added three assists, and Palmer and Wilkins each scored once. Winchell tallied one assist for H-SC. Wilkins and junior Cameron Van Lunen (Southern Shores, NC) led the way defensively with two caused turnovers.
 
Senior goalie Will Palmer (Atlanta, GA) got his third win of the season, making 14 saves.
 
The Tigers will be back in action on Wednesday, March 11, when they return home to take on the University of Mary Washington. The game is scheduled for 4 p.m. at Hellmuth-Gibson Field.