San Francisco – In what was quickly shaping up to be an epic pitcher's duel between two stout defensive squads, the SF State men's soccer team eventually found the back of the net to defeat Sonoma State 1-0 in the first overtime to secure the most wins since 2010 and the first winning season since 2005.

The Gators (8-7-3/3-6-2 CCAA) needed all 90 minutes of regulation before Emmanuel Serrano took a pass from Jakob Velega and beat Sonoma State (8-8-2/3-6-2 CCAA) for the game winning goal in the 93^rd minute. 

For Serrano it was his second goal of the season, and the first assist of the year for Velega.  Senior keeper Colt Reichl making his final appearance in the purple and gold did his part to make sure that score held up.  Reichl finished with the clean sheet, recording three saves on the afternoon.

Defensively, the Gators played extremely well.  The Seawolves finished the afternoon with 13 shots but only three were on goal.  Even more impressive, SSU had a 5-3 advantage in corner kicks but could not convert any into the crucial goal they needed.

The Seawolves keeper Mitch North did his best to keep Sonoma State in the game, he finished the afternoon with 10 saves as the Gators recorded 15 shots on the afternoon, 11 on goal, most of that coming in the second half.

Senior's Kevin Johnson and Nick Harb provided a bulk of the pressure with both players recording three shots each.  Sam Merritt tallied two shots, as did Cameron DeJong.  Adam Lenth, Hayden Roberts, Nathan Fernandez and Jorge Valadas also recorded a shot on the afternoon.

With the eight wins, the Gators match the most wins since SF State went 8-9-1 in 2010 and marks the first winning season since the Gators went 10-9-1 in 2005.

Before Thursday's game the Gators said good-bye to six exceptional student athletes.  Making their final appearance at Cox Stadium was Reichl, Johnson, Harb, Fernandez, and Valadas.

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Gator Athletics has a proud tradition of competitive success within the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). The department offers 12 intercollegiate sports programs: Baseball, Men's and Women's Basketball, Men's and Women's Cross Country, Men's and Women's Soccer, Softball, Women's Track & Field, Women's Volleyball and Men's Wrestling.

Gator Athletics places great emphasis on academic performance as well as athletic achievement. The program offers student athletes the opportunity to reach their educational goals, as well pursue meaningful athletic accomplishments.  For more information, visit SF State Athletics' website, Twitter and Facebook pages.