Virginia Beach, VA - The Bishop men's soccer team is headed to the NCAA Sweet 16!  In its fifth double overtime game of the season, North Carolina Wesleyan earned its record-tying 17th overall victory in a 1-0 thriller over the homestanding Marlins of Virginia Wesleyan on Monday night at Foster Field.  The 15th-ranked Bishops were given all they could handle by upset-minded VWC, but senior Yared Yedenekachew's third shot of the game found the left side of the net in the 111th minute to ignite the victory celebration (pictured).

NCWC entered Monday's game ranked No. 6 nationally in scoring offense, averaging 4.06 goals per game.  The Bishops, however, were repeatedly denied good-look shots by an alert Virginia Wesleyan defense. 

NC Wesleyan finished with a 19-14 edge in shots, but VWC junior goalie Kyle Williams produced a career-high 11 saves to help frustrate the Bishop efforts.

NC Wesleyan goalie Renato Corte finished with four saves, including a couple of key stops after the Marlins got off dangerous shots close to the goal. VWC had scoring opportunities throughout the game, especially in the last four minutes of regulation when the Marlins kept pressure on Corte, getting off four unanswered shots.  The talented freshman saved one and survived a rebound shot that sailed wide in the final seconds.

Yedenekachew then delivered down the stretch.  With three Marlin defenders focused on sophomore Justin Thompson at the top of the box, Yedenekachew found himself wide open when Thompson's touch landed at his feet.  The senior midfielder quickly deposited the shot in the back left corner of the net to secure the victory with 8:20 remaining in the final overtime period.

It was the second overtime victory in the NCAA tournament for the Bishops, who pulled out a 1-0 win over Lynchburg College in the first round.  NCWC, now 17-1-2, advances to this weekend's sectional competition, hosted by York College of Pennsylvania.  The Bishops will face York at 11:00 a.m. on Friday.  The Spartans are currently 19-0-2 overall and ranked No. 2 nationally.