Box Score LEXINGTON, Ky. - Transylvania men's lacrosse secured a thrilling victory Wednesday in their final home game of the season, snatching an overtime win from the Hanover Panthers, 8-7.

In a tied game with 18 seconds to go and Hanover in possession, it was sophomore goalkeeper Joshua Slone who would step in cold to defend the Pioneers in a man-down situation, attempting to prevent a Panther victory. Starting goalkeeper Cooper Fogle, who snatched 13 saves on the day, was called on a one-minute slashing penalty just seconds earlier, giving Hanover the advantage. As the whistle blew and the seconds began to tick off the clock, Slone snatched the game-deciding shot from Hanover with .3 seconds left to give the Pioneers a chance in overtime.

"That was a huge momentum break for us," said Head Coach Terry Justice. "It really gave our guys energy going into overtime."

Just one minute into the sudden victory overtime, sophomore midfielder Sam Browning would solidify the Transylvania win, sneaking a shot into the bottom corner of the Panther cage. 

"Sam has been working hard on his shot in practice," said Coach Justice. "I'm glad he was able to can the game-winner."

Freshman midfielder Clark Watts led the Pioneers with two goals and five shots on goal. Both goals helped the Pioneers knot up the matchup 5-5 and 7-7 in the third and fourth quarter. Transylvania's freshman Andrew Meyer, freshman Gus Burge, sophomore Evan Wright, freshman Tyler Johnson and sophomore Clay Douthat each tacked on a goal, while Browning's game-winning goal was also his only of the night. Sophomore Sam Ives made his presence known, taking 9-of-11 of his faceoffs and tying in ground balls with teammate Meyer with five.

The contest got off to a quick start early in the first quarter, as the Pioneers opened with intense, physical pressure against the Panthers, forcing three goalie saves in the opening four minutes. Despite Translvania's offensive force, it would be Hanover to net the first score, as sophomore Josh Green netted an open look opportunity at the 8:09-minute mark to put the Pathers up 1-0.

It wasn't but 30 seconds later the Pioneers would strike back, as Meyer dodged through heavy traffic, tying it up for the first of seven times, 1-1. 

Just as the Pioneers secured the tie, a ping-pong scoring spree would commence, with Hanover snagging a go-ahead goal with 6:50 left in the first half. Transylvania goalkeeper Fogle would attempt a body-blocking shot, but the Panthers would sneak it into the left corner, going up 2-1.

A powerful shot by Hanover's Sam Kampert at the 6-minute mark, would result in an impressive save by Fogle, trapping the shot in his pocket against the ground, preventing an added advantage. The Pioneers poured on the offense, taking several shots, but none penetrating the net until the clock hit 4:30, as Burge shot into a heavily defended Hanover cage. The shot sailed over the goalie's left shoulder to tie it up again, 2-2.

In the second quarter, the Pioneers took an opening minute advantage thanks to Wright, who bounced in a goal, sneaking by the Hanover goalie for a 3-2 lead. Hanover's Green would strike again with 2:51 on the clock, given an open shot on the left side of the net to bring it back to 3-3.

Nearly 20 seconds later, Pioneers' defender Johnson would run nearly two-thirds of the field with possession to take a shot for the go-ahead Transylvania goal, giving the Pioneers another one-point cushion.

With .53 seconds left before the half, a diving Panther would snag the fourth of the tying goals at the top of the net, going head-on with Fogle before time expired.

Defense would be key in the third, as both teams allowed only one goal each before heading into the final quarter of the contest. At the 12:48-mark Green would tack on his third of the night, going high over the head of Fogle, but it would take only five seconds for Douthat to make his mark, rolling in another Pioneer tying goal for a 6-6 score.

Hanover would attempt to pound the Transylvania net, but only one goal would penetrate at the 11-minute mark before the Pioneers would again come from behind to tie the score at 7-7 thanks to Watts.

Before the final three-minute finale and overtime victory ensued, a close scare would occur at the 3:07 mark. A Panther shot was knocked down by Fogle, but bounced underneath him, mere inches from the goalline. With Panthers swarming in, Fogle would quickly cup the ball before rolling into the Pioneer cage, saving the game-winner just minutes before receiving a slashing penalty at the 18-second mark.

The Pioneer defense stormed the Panthers the majority of the contest, recording 13 caused turnovers and preventing four man-up opportunities from crossing the goalline. The Pioneers also dominated offensively in shots, attempting 52 to Hanover's 37, while also capitalizing on ground balls, netting 36 to the Panthers' 24.

Wednesday's matchup caps Transylvania's home season, but the Pioneers continue on the road facing Illinois Wesleyan in Bloomington, Ill. on April 19 at 2 p.m.