SYRACUSE, N.Y. -- Syracuse's Skylar Thomas made his final regular-season game at the SU Soccer Stadium a memorable one. Thomas, who was recognized before the match as part of Senior Night, scored the winning goal in the 103rd minute to lift the third-ranked Orange (14-2-1, 5-2-1 Atlantic Coastal Conference) to a 2-1 double-overtime victory against Boston College (5-8-3, 1-6-1) in front of 1,672 fans on Friday.
The goal was Thomas' second game-winner of the season and the victory assured the Orange of a share of the ACC Atlantic Division title.
Syracuse controlled the flow of the match from the opening whistle, but Boston College was the first to score. Diego Medina-Mendez sent a hard cross into the box that bounced past goalkeeper Alex Bono to give the Eagles a 1-0 lead.
The Orange answered back in the 29th minute as Oyvind Alseth was awarded a penalty kick that Nick Perea converted at the 28:09 mark to equalize the match.
In the second half, Syracuse outshot the Eagles 7-2 and recorded six corner kicks, but could not capitalize on its advantage. Boston College goalie Alex Kapp recorded four second-half saves to help preserve the stalemate and the match proceeded to overtime.
Skylar puts it in the back of the net and @SUMensSoccer wins their final regular season home game! #DareToDream pic.twitter.com/w19zJBWu3g
— Otto's Army (@OttosArmy) November 1, 2014
Much like in regulation, the Orange kept the Eagles on the defensive in the first extra session. Syracuse recorded four shots in the period, including a try by Alex Halis in the 93rd minute that riccocheted off the post.
Finally in the second overtime, Syracuse broke through. Less than three minutes into the frame, Halis tracked down a loose ball in the box after a free kick and fired a shot that Kapp turned away. The rebound made its way to Thomas, who buried the ball into the open net with 7:21 left to secure the victory.
Alex Bono finished with three saves for the Orange and moved into sole possession of second place on Syracuse's all-time wins list with his 37th victory. Kapp tallied six saves for the Eagles.
The Orange outshot Boston College, 18-6 and held a 14-3 advantage in corner kicks.
"I am very proud of the way our guys kept grinding," head coach Ian McIntyre said. "There were a lot of tired legs out there. It was a heavy pitch tonight and both teams laid it out there. Thankfully, we came out with a win and a valuable three points."
