ST. LOUIS—MBU Men's Soccer finally solved the Hannibal-LaGrange Trojans on Wednesday in a 1-0 overtime victory. The Spartans entered the matchup with just one victory over HLGU in its last 15 tries dating back to 2010.
 
After a quiet first half for both sides, the action picked up after the intermission. The Spartans turned up the offensive and nearly broke through on multiple occasions in the Hannibal penalty area.
 
But 90 minutes wasn't enough and the match required OT to find a winner. Five minutes into the extra period, MBU earned a corner to be taken by junior Reece Kral. Kral's corner took a glance off freshman Jack Carney in the six-yard box and fell to the feet of Cullen Barr. Barr's shot towards the far corner caromed off a Hannibal defender and in for the golden goal.
 
"The first half wasn't our best but the boys made some adjustments and we played better football," noted Head Coach Jake Alvernia. "I thought we were fighting for everything in the second half."
 
Defensively the Spartans contained a Hannibal club that scored a whopping 20 goals in its first five games. Centerback Richie Taylor earned 'Man of the Match' honors. Goalkeeper Wessel Berenschot made three saves for his first career clean sheet.
 
"Richie won absolutely everything in the back," Alvernia commented. "Credit to our back line and Wessel."
 
The Spartans are now back to .500 at 3-3 overall and 2-1 in the AMC. Two games remain in the fall portion of the schedule. Next up is a matchup against Health Sciences and Pharmacy next Tuesday. Kickoff is scheduled for 6 pm.