Johnson, VT: The SUNY Cobleskill men's soccer team secured a thrilling 3-2 win over VTSU-Johnson in the first round of the North Atlantic Conference (NAC) Tournament, thanks to a late goal in the final three minutes by Cody Petschko (New Hyde Park, NY/FDR) that pushed them through to the NAC West Division Championship.

Senior Conor Flanigan (Troy, NY) led the pack for the Tigers, scoring Cobleskill's second goal and assisting on the game-winner. Fellow senior Cody Petschko netted the decisive goal in the 88th minute. Spencer Reisman (Youngstown, NY/Lewiston Porter) was a force to be reckoned with in the middle of the field for the Cobleskill attack, contributed two assists, while second-year defender Rob Staubitz (East Rockaway, NY) also made it onto the scoresheet with a goal.

Second-year goalkeeper Adam Champlin (South Kortright, NY) finished the game with five saves while the Johnson keeper recorded seven. Cobleskill held the advantage in shots, 16-11, and shots on target, 10-7. The Fighting Tigers finished with 7 corners compared to Johnson's two.

The game opened with both teams battling evenly in the first half, and with just over five minutes left in the period, Cobleskill struck first. After the Johnson goalkeeper deflected Reisman's direct kick, Staubitz seized the rebound and buried the ball in the net to give the Tigers a 1-0 advantage.

Carrying the momentum from the first half, it took just three minutes into the second half before Cobleskill doubled their lead when Reisman connected with Flanigan, who timed his run perfectly, controlled the pass in stride, and calmly sent the ball into the side netting for his second goal of the season.

With their season on the line, the No. 2 seed Badgers responded by pressing forward. They cut Cobleskill's lead in the 78th minute, scoring from a scramble in the box. Less than two minutes later, they capitalized on a rebound off Cobleskill goalkeeper Adam Champlin's initial save, leveling the score at 2-2.

In the tense final minutes, both teams continued to press, but Cobleskill found the winning play. At the 87:44 mark, a sequence of precise one-touch passes ended with Flanigan threading the ball to Petschko, who slipped through the defense. Facing the charging Johnson keeper, Petschko with ice in his veins kept his composure and slotted the ball past him at the near post, sealing the 3-2 victory for Cobleskill.

The Tigers will now advance to face SUNY Delhi in the NAC West Division Championship on Saturday, with kickoff scheduled for 12:00 p.m.