PORTLAND, Ore. – Northwest Nazarene sophomore
Dominic Abdel-Ahad probably hasn't had the season he envisioned.
Relegated to a backup role and mainly coming on when star forward
Jake Levine needs a breather, Abdel-Ahad had scored just one goal on the season coming into Thursday night's game.
He doubled his total, though, scoring a golden goal in the 98th minute off an assist from
Aoci Watambela to give the Nighthawks a 2-1 victory at Concordia in Great Northwest Athletic Conference action.
"Jake had some cramps and we got him some fluids, but he had to come out," NNU coach
Adam Pearce said. "Dom just jumped right in and was opportunistic, which is what good players do. He has stayed positive and we have challenged him in training and that is what you've got to do. Always be ready for your moment and he's taken advantage of it. I'm very, very happy for him."
The Concordia (7-9 overall, 4-7 GNAC) goalkeeper came off his line to try to get to Watambela's cross, but Abdel-Ahad beat him to it and headed the shot in. Both of his goals this season have come on headers against Concordia.
Concordia had tied the game with six seconds left on a penalty kick after NNU was called for a hand ball in the box.
At the time, NNU (7-10, 3-8) led 1-0 on
Jake Levine's team-leading ninth goal. He scored in the 64th minute on an assist by
Brandon Parsio.
"To the guys credit, they didn't feel sorry for themselves," Pearce said. "I was really proud of them because they wanted to get the game. There was no need to refocus them. It's a real moment of growth for us as competitors and certainly for us as a program to come into a challenging place and get a result on the road."
Sophomore goalkeeper
Alex Nadermann made two saves as the NNU defense was solid throughout.
The Nighthawks finished with 16 shots, including five on goal. Concordia keeper Kenneth Symmes made three saves.
NNU swept the season series against Pearce's alma mater.
The Nighthawks return home at 4 p.m. Saturday for their final match of the year, hosting Seattle Pacific.
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