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SPRINGFIELD, Mass. -- Sophomore Scott Castle scored the game-winning goal just 50 seconds into overtime Sunday to lift visiting Nazareth to a 9-8 men's lacrosse victory over 20th-ranked Springfield in men's lacrosse.

The game was the season opener for the Golden Flyers, while Springfield dropped to 0-2. Nazareth hosts Geneseo in its home opener Saturday at 1 p.m.

After Nazareth won the face-off to start the overtime, the Golden Flyers called a timeout to set up their offense. Out of the timeout, Castle took the ball from the middle of the field, dodged to his left and ripped a jump shot from 10 yards out into the upper corner of the cage to lift the Golden Flyers to victory.

Springfield set up the overtime session by outscoring Nazareth 3-1 in the fourth quarter, including the game-tying goal by Jake Jones with exactly 1:00 left in regulation. Trailing by two, 7-5, to start the final 15 minutes, Springfield thwarted a Nazareth man-up opportunity by causing a turnover and getting a man-down goal from Jake Beebe just 41 seconds into the period. Jones then tied the score at 7-7 less than seven minutes later.

Nazareth regained the lead at 8-7 with 5:30 left as junior Mark DeCirce scooped up a loose ball in an unsettled situation and slipped a bounce shot into the net for his second goal of the game. Jones then sent the game into overtime for Springfield as he took a pass from Pat Cavanaugh, fought through a pair of checks, and beat Nazareth goalie Todd Dermody.

Nazareth opened the game with two unassisted strikes to take a 2-0 lead midway through the opening period. Mike Cummings opened up the scoring just 1:17 into the game as he took his man to the right and buried a bounce shot into the back of the cage for Nazareth's first goal of the 2009 season.

The visitors took a two-goal lead after Castle scored his first goal of the game as he finished a shot on the crease while being checked at the 8:09 mark. Castle's shot was altered by the Springfield check and the ball skirted just over Springfield goalie Tom Albano's left shoulder for the unlikely goal.

The Pride closed out the first-quarter scoring as Kyle Gable finished a Mike Delia feed with 4:56 left in the frame. Delia sprinted past his defender to his right and fired a pass into the middle of the field, finding Gable. Gable made no mistake as he ripped a shot from five yards out for his third goal of the year.

Springfield knotted the game at two after Ferrell was found all alone on a clear and blasted a shot home with his longstick 28 seconds into the second quarter. A Kurt Detwiler goal just under two minutes later put the visitors up by one, only to have Cavanaugh finish a shot after a terrific spin move on the crease and tie the game at three.

The Golden Flyers went into the half up one after DeCirce tallied a man-up goal at the 6:19 mark. DeCirce took advantage of a failed clear and scored on an empty net after confusion in the Pride's defensive third .

A Beebe goal, his first of the season, tied the game at four after he ripped a shot into the top corner of the cage to start the third quarter. The scoring then picked up as Naz scored 21 seconds later, once again taking advantage of a Pride failed clear. Freshman #C.J. Estes# took a pass from DeCirce and found the back of the net while diving across the crease to put the visitors back on top. Springfield would not go away, tying the game at five after Shawn Runyon wrapped around the cage and slipped a shot into the bottom of the net just 28 seconds after Estes' goal.

The Golden Flyers increased their lead to two after consecutive goals by sophomore Joe Jacobs-Ferderbar to close the third quarter. The second goal was a man-up strike off a pass from Castle.

DeCirce had one assist in addition to his two goals for Nazareth. Sophomore Kyle McLean also won 11 of 18 face-offs. and scooped up a game-high seven ground balls. Dermody made nine saves for Nazareth while his Springfield counterpart, Albano, had five.