Taking care of business, and working overtime

The Gonzaga men's soccer team capped an enthralling weekend of conference play on Sunday with its second come-from-behind, 3-2 overtime victory in three days. After seeing off Loyola Marymount on Friday, the win against San Diego sent the fans in attendance at Gonzaga Soccer Field into frenzied celebration.

"It was a good weekend for us — we definitely needed those wins," assistant coach Vito Higgins said. "I think the guys came out and showed that with a little fight and a little team effort, they could achieve wins that may have seemed impossible."

On Friday, the Bulldogs had started off brilliantly against LMU. In just the second minute of play, 6-foot-4 Greg Carter rose high in the Lions' penalty area to guide home a header from a pinpoint James Matern cross to give Gonzaga a 1-0 lead.

LMU fought back to make it 2-1 before GU responded in the 77th minute, when forward Alec Cutter's header back across the Lions goal led to a defender bungling the ball into the back of his own net.

That sent the game into overtime, and in the 94th minute GU defender Josh Phillips latched onto Erik Nielsen's searching long ball off a free kick to fire home the winner.

The Bulldogs would conjure up more of that same magic on Sunday. Despite going down 2-0 to USD, a pair of freshman forwards helped pull Gonzaga back from the brink.

"Both our freshman guys up top really fought hard against USD," Higgins said. "Clark Phillips bulldozed his way through to get the two goals that tied the game up. Then of course, Nate Pacheco was cold as ice scoring that final goal to win it."

Pacheco's overtime strike came on an audacious bit of skill, as the forward arrived first to Cutter's cross and executed a deft heel-flick past the flailing Toreros keeper into the back of the net.

"I didn't really think too much about it," Pacheco said about his decisive goal. "I just knew I had to finish."

The freshman from Albuquerque, N.M., has teamed up in attack with Phillips on numerous occasions this season, and feels the two are beginning to mesh.

"Clark's really good at holding the ball and flicking passes through into space for me," Pacheco said. "I know when Clark's got the ball that I need to make my runs."

It was the freshman's tireless work that proved the difference against USD.

"They were scrappy goals," Phillips said. "I had to fight in the box to put them away, and I just managed to get my foot onto them. I'm just glad to help out my team and get the result."

After dropping the first two conference games of the season, last weekend's wins could prove crucial as the Bulldogs begin their push toward the tail end of the season.

"Those two wins were huge," Pacheco said. "They gave us a huge boost in team morale and confidence."

It's been pretty exciting," Phillips said. "But I think the team's really focused still on the next games and finishing the conference well."

Higgins realizes there is still plenty of work to be done.

"I think we could do better defensively to not put ourselves in situations where we've got to score six goals over a weekend to win those games," Higgins said. "Giving up four goals defensively is not what you want to do.

"But this weekend showed us that a little fight can carry the team a long way. Hopefully we don't have too many overtime games, but each time we deal with a situation like that, it shows the guys that if we keep at it, we can get that result."

Next up was a home game against Portland on Oct. 12. Phillips hails from the Rose City, and is approaching that game with relish.

"I'm definitely looking forward to that one," Phillips said. "I would really enjoy beating them."

The weekend's exploits bring the Bulldogs to 4-6-1 on the season, and 2-2-0 in conference play.

"I think this weekend meant a lot," Higgins said. "Losses can be very devastating for a team. It was a huge boost mentally to get those two results and get back on track. Of course, it's a little draining — especially since we're in the midst of a four-game swing in an eight-day span."

Both Higgins and Pacheco listed postseason play as the season's main objective, but neither is looking past the next opponents on the schedule. After facing Portland, Gonzaga heads to Moraga, Calif., to take on Saint Mary's on Friday, Oct. 14.

"We've still got a long way to go, and we'll always have our setbacks," Higgins said. "But the more we stay together as a team, and the more we stay positive in our mental focus, we'll be that much more successful going forward."