ONEONTA, NY – Jamie O’Grady (Falkirk, Scotland/Falkirk HS) scored with 4:09 remaining in the second overtime period to propel Hartwick men’s soccer to its first victory of the season, 2-1, over Fairfield University in the opening round of the Mayor’s Cup Friday night on Elmore. The win marks the 600^th in the storied program. The all-time record now stands at 600-311-104.

            O’Grady, scoring his second goal of the game, cleaned up on a loose ball in the box for the winner. Hamish Ritchie (Aberdeen, Scotland/Aboyne Academy) served a corner into the Fairfield box which Johnny McBeth (Glasgow, Scotland/Upper Iowa University) did all he could to get his head on. The ball fell to the feet of O’Grady who swept the ball in from eight yards away to set off hysteria.

            O’Grady would get the scoring started on the day as he finished off a penalty. McBeth was fouled in the Stags’ box and O’Grady netted his second goal from the spot of the season. Keeper Jack Robinson guessed right but he couldn’t get a fingertip to it and the Hawks led 1-0 in the 37^th minute.
            ’Wick appeared headed for the locker room with the lead but with just 90 seconds left in the half, Fairfield marched down the field to tie it. Don Junior-Bobe scored the Stags’ goal with Ryan Ruff delivering the pass.

            The Hawks had a flurry of chances in the first five and a half minutes of the second stanza. Kane O’Neill (Lochwinnoch, Scotland/Gryffe HS) started the first chance with long run up field from the back. A short pass to Marc Berry (Galashiels, Scotland/Galashiels Academy) produced a shot from in close but Robinson made the save.

            On the ensuing corner, Elliott Bentley (Leicestershire, England/Tresham College) received a short corner and swung the ball into the box to Berry whose header forced a point blank save on the goal line from Robinson.

            With 39 and a half minutes to go, McBeth had the ball all alone to the left of Robinson. His blast to the far post smacked off the post and came back out and the game remained deadlocked.

            Hartwick keeper Lenny Wilson (Aberdeen, Scotland/Cults Academy) got the victory in goal. He was called upon to make just one save but it was a crucial one in the first overtime as he went up to rob a long, bending Diego Casielles’ free kick that looked destined for the upper corner.

            The Hawks wrap up the Mayor’s Cup on Sunday at 3 p.m. against Niagara, which was a 2-1 winner over Robert Morris in the day’s first game. Sunday’s meeting will be for the cup title. The Hawks will be in search of their first Mayor’s Cup crown since 2007.