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UTICA, N.Y. -- Sophomore Simon Mounsdon headed in a pass from Liam Connolly with 1:24 left in regulation Saturday to lift visiting Nazareth to a 2-1 men's soccer win over Utica in the Empire 8 Conference opener for both teams.

The Golden Flyers improved to 4-1 overall while Utica dropped to 3-2 following the game played at Utica's Charles Gaetano Stadium.

After Mounsdon's goal all but sealed the win for the Golden Flyers, Utica had one last chance, but a shot by the Pioneers' Kevin McAllister was saved by Nazareth goalie Kyle Connolly in the closing seconds.

After a scoreless first half in which Utica outshot Nazareth 9-3, Nazareth broke through in the 66th minute as sophomore James Wheeler collected his second goal of the season following a throw in by Rikesh Lad. The loose ball was finally kicked into the net by Wheeler.

In the 81st minute, Utica tied the score on a goal by Jonathan Peterson, who used his chest to redirect a pass from Jonathan Wood into the goal.

Utica finished with a 15-10 advantage in shots while corner kicks were even at 4. Kyle Connolly made five saves for Nazareth. His Utica counterpart, Anthony Caruso, had three saves. The victory was Nazareth's 20th over the Pioneers in 21 meetings.

Nazareth is back on the road Tuesday for a non-conference game at RIT at 4 p.m. The Golden Flyers host Elmira in E8 action Saturday at 1 p.m.