LORETTO, Pa. (Nov. 1, 2010) – Senior Owen Gombami (Pumula North Bulawayo, Simbabwe/Mzilikazi) (Pumula North Bulawayo, Zimbabwe / Mzilikazi) scored off a long outlet pass from classmate Sean O'Reilly (Front Royal,Va./Seton) (Front Royal, Va. / Seton) to send the Saint Francis men's soccer team into the Northeast Conference playoffs with a thrilling 1-0 double overtime victory over visiting Mount St. Mary's on Monday afternoon at the Stokes Soccer Complex.

With the Mountaineers threatening in the Red Flash 18-yard box, O'Reilly cleared a high and long pass with Gombami and senior Patrick Fleming (Dunedin, New Zealand/Bayfield) (Dunedin, New Zealand / Bayfield) chasing. Gombami fought off a defender and then tipped the ball into the lower right corner from 13 years out with goalkeeper Chris Davis coming out to challenge the play.

Gombami's golden goal was his third goal and first game-winner of the year, and clinched SFU's first Northeast Conference playoff spot since 2007. Sophomore goalkeeper Daniel Valcicak (Herndon, Va./Gonzaga College) (Herndon, Va. / Gonzaga College) stopped five shots to record his fifth shutout of the season, and the sixth for the team.

The Red Flash tied a school record for wins in a season by improving to 10-5-1 overall, and 6-2-1 in the Northeast Conference. They also tied a school record with six league wins. Saint Francis finished with a 6-0-1 record at home during the regular season. The Red Flash women's soccer team finished 9-0 at the Stokes Soccer Complex this season to give both SFU teams a combined 15-0-1 in Loretto.

The Saint Francis men's soccer team will close out the regular season against in-state Northeast Conference rival Robert Morris at 1 p.m. on Saturday in Moon Township, Pa.

“This is a good win over a tough Mount team,” said Saint Francis head coach Michael Casper. “We were not at our best today but still found a way to get the win, which is a sign of a good team. Our boys fought hard, were hungry for the victory, had belief until the very end, and found a way to get it done. We are excited that we clinched a playoff berth and have extended our season, but we realize that there is still a lot of work to do and we have another tough test coming up on Saturday against Robert Morris.”

After dropping a disappointing 2-1 overtime contest at No. 12 Monmouth on Friday, the Red Flash came out a little flat against Mount St. Mary's. The Mountaineers controlled most of the play in the first half and had a 4-2 edge in shots going into the break.

However, that trend reversed in the second half when SFU had a 12-3 advantage in shots, but the Mount and goalkeeper Davis remained alive.

Gombami nearly got the Red Flash on the board with 19:20 remaining when a shot from 17 yards out drifted just right of the goal.

Mount St. Mary's junior Chris Wheeler had two shots on goal in the first overtime, but Valcicak stood tall to the test.

SFU outshot Mount St. Mary's 18-10, and had a 7-3 advantage in corner kicks. Gombami led the Red Flash with five shots in the game, while senior Tyler Hibbs (St. Catherine, Canada/Governor Simcoe) (St. Catherine, Canada / Governor Simcoe) had three.

For periodic men's soccer updates and other Red Flash news, follow Director of Athletic Communications Bob Volkert on Twitter at SFUVolkert.

Saint Francis Game Notes: The Red Flash tied school records with their 10^th overall win, and sixth Northeast Conference victory; SFU snapped a two-game losing streak against the Mountaineers, and improved to 8-12-2 all-time in the series; Owen Gombami (Pumula North Bulawayo, Simbabwe/Mzilikazi) became the eighth different player to score a game-winner for Saint Francis this season; head coach Michael Casper earned his 30^th career victory, one shy of his predecessor B.J. Craig for second in program history; SFU has clinched an NEC Tournament berth for the first time since 2007, and the fourth time since 2004; Saint Francis improved to 2-2-1 in overtime games this season; the Red Flash finished 6-0-1 at the Stokes Soccer Complex, and combined to go 15-0-1 with the SFU women's soccer team; sophomore goalkeeper Daniel Valcicak (Herndon, Va./Gonzaga College) recorded his fifth shutout of the season to tie Joe Alianiello (2001) for fourth on the school's single-season list; freshman Tobi Iguade (Bowie, Md./DeMatha Catholic) (Bowie, Md. / DeMatha Catholic) was named the adidas/Northeast Conference Rookie-of-the-Week earlier on Monday.