William Paterson beat FDU-Florham 3-2 in the quarterfinal round in a thrilling fashion.

Earlier in the season, the Pioneers fell in a 2-0 loss to FDU-Florham at home, both goals coming in the second half. William Paterson knew it would be a tough team to face and beat to continue their run in the ECAC tournament, especially on FDU-Florham’s own field.

With less than 10 minutes in the first half, FDU-Florham netted the first goal of the match. Less than two minutes later, FDU-Florham struck again with their second goal of the match.

The first half ended with the Devils leading 2-0. Coming out in the second half, the Pioneers knew they would have to step it up to get back in the game.

The Pioneers began to turn the tide with their first goal. Coming in the 54th minute, senior midfielder Matty Escobar finished his shot unassisted to breathe life back into the Pioneers.

Success found the Pioneers again in the 67th minute with another goal by Matty Escobar, also unassisted.

The second half ended with a score of 2-2.

Now, with the tied score, the game moved to extra time. The first ten-minute overtime half ended without another goal, so the game moved to a second ten-minute half of overtime.

In the 108th minute of the game, William Paterson was awarded a free kick just outside the box. The initial shot by Matty Escobar hit the crossbar and went back into play, but sophomore midfielder Davide Zamuner found the rebound and finished the ball into the back of the net.

The late goal ended the game in a 3-2 win for William Paterson. The Pioneers will go on to face Juniata College in the semifinal round of the ECAC tournament on Saturday, November 22, in Newark, N.J.