The Wilmington University men's soccer team needed three goals in the second half to come back and stun Goldey-Beacom, 3-2, in Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference action on Tuesday afternoon at Nancy Churchman-Sawin Field.
Battling back from a 2-0 halftime deficit, the Wildcats (8-5, 5-3 CACC) tied the match in the 66th minute and took their first lead of the match in the 81st minute to come back and steal a victory from Goldey-Beacom (7-6, 5-3 CACC).
The Lightning took a quick 1-0 lead in the sixth minute when senior forward Luiz Ristow scored his 10th goal of the season off an assist from freshman midfielder Cameron Wilkinson.
With 16:24 remaining in the opening stanza, Ristow extended the advantage to 2-0 when he scored an unassisted marker on a 20-yard shot.
The Lightning went into the halftime break with a 10-7 lead in shots, making Wilmington goalkeeper Frank Hall stop three to keep the score at 2-0 after 45 minutes of play.
The second half was all Wilmington, outshooting Goldey-Beacom, 12-2, and earning more corners, 5-2.
In the 60th minute, sophomore midfielder Juan Bernal trimmed the Wildcats' deficit to 2-1 when he scored his second goal of the season, heading in a free kick from sophomore midfielder Geoff Velasquez.
Just over six minutes later, the Wildcats tied the match at 2-2 when junior forward Samuel Naiwo posted his fourth goal of the season by taking a pass from junior defender Lance Berry and scoring on a close shot.
Bruno Montini took one of those corners for the Wildcats and converted it into a scoring opportunity himself, bending one in in the 81st minute to give the visitors their lone lead of the match. His bending corner hit off the post and off a defender before going in, giving the sophomore the game-winner with 9:10 to play in regulation.
After losing four straight the Wildcats have won two straight games with today's victory and they look to carry their momentum into Saturday's match at Dominican. The Chargers are ranked eighth in the latest NSCAA East Region Poll, released on Tuesday. The match is slated for a 2:30 p.m. start.