BAKERSFIELD, Calif.—Dylan Kelly scored 3:02 into overtime to give Incarnate Word a 2-1 victory over Bakersfield in Western Athletic Conference men's soccer action Friday night.

The teams played a scoreless first half as the Roadrunners outshot the Cardinals 6-3. UIW (4-6, 3-0 WAC) took the lead 4:45 into the second when Ben Conway scored off a pair of touch passes from Kelly and Alex De La Garza.

Bakersfield (8-4-1, 2-2 WAC) continued to pressure the Incarnate Word defense. Late in the 60th minute, Simon Doherty (Jr., West Lothian, Scotland, FDU ) took three shots in an eight-second sequence that saw two UIW goalie Kieran O'Boyle make two saves and have a third blocked away by the Cardinals' defense.  Doherty's fourth shot of the night was saved by O'Boyle five minutes later but the rebound was put back in by Dante Niño (Jr. Reseda, Calif., Birmingham HS).

“Dante brought a nice energy and gave us a spark,” said Bakersfield head coach Richie Grant “He got himself a goal and it felt like he was our best threat in the first half.”

Each team threatened in the final minutes of the regulation. A John Villarrell shot was saved by 'Runner goalie Nicolas Clever (So., Cologne, Germany, Gesamtschule Kuerten) in the 72nd minute.  Niño's shot off a CSUB corner in the 86th minute was turned away by O'Boyle.  

“When it was 1-1, I thought we would go on and win the game. We had a couple of great chances and it was a game of very few chances,” Grant said.

Overtime started with each team having a possession. The second time down the field for the Cardinals, Andrew Grossman sent a long pass to Kelly who put the ball past Clever on the low left of the 'Runner goal from 15 yards out. It was the lone shot of the extra stanza.

“I felt that it was important to not make a mistake; it was a big concentration night,” Grant said. “It's disappointing that a mistake is what cost us in extra time. (Give) full credit to UIW.”

Bakersfield continues WAC play at home on Sunday when the Roadrunners host Houston Baptist in a 1 p.m. start. Tickets are available online at Vallitix.com.

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