SPRINGFIELD, Ore. – Oregon Tech made their only lead of the night stand up, as an overtime penalty kick from Cade O'Neill broke a deadlock and the Owls defense thwarted any Eastern Oregon rally, topping the Mountaineers, 3-2, in a Cascade Conference Tournament (presented by U.S. Bank) quarterfinal game at Les Schwab Soccer Park.
 
The Owls (12-1-4) rallied from 1-0 and 2-1 deficits to force the 20 minutes of extra time, with O'Neill drawing the penalty four minutes into the session. The senior drove a low shot past the diving Dalton Mauzay for his school-record 13th goal of the year – with the OIT defense not allowing an EOU shot the rest of the way.
 
"Boys dug it out tonight," said OIT head coach Sean McManamon. "This is playoff football and every match is going to be a battle. The boys stuck to the game plan and came out on top. We are ready to go again tomorrow."
 
EOU (9-8-2) made the most of their limited opportunities – opening the scoring in the 28th minute on a Marcos Bravo goal. The lead would hold until the 51st minute, as Brock Rideout played a long ball into the box, with a John Sarna header beating Mauzay for the equalizer.
 
The momentum wouldn't last, as the Mountaineers would regain the lead in the 54th minute on a set piece goal from Faris Ceranic.
 
Tech forced overtime in the 61st minute – as Sarna ripped a shot off the crossbar, with Andrew Pasang pouncing on the rebound, blasting the open sitter into the net.
 
OIT finished the match with a 25-8 edge in total shots.
 
The Owls will meet No. 25-ranked Corban tomorrow night at 7 p.m. in the tournament semifinals.