WILMINGTON, Ohio -- A comeback for the ages lifted the No. 6 seeded Capital University men's soccer team to a dramatic 4-3 win over the No. 3 seeded Wilmington Quakers on Tuesday evening. Jack Francisco netted a second half hat trick and Jarrett Puckett pulled another blistering free kick out of his bag of tricks to vault the team to the thrilling win. 

The Comets (10-7-1) twice came from two goals down, and scored the winner with just 56 seconds remaining on the clock to take the game. Down 2-0 at half and then again, 3-1 with 15 minutes remaining, the Comets looked down and out, but the team rallied for three goals in the final 11 minutes of play to pull off the unthinkable. 

Despite holding the edge in opportunities and more dangerous attempts, Capital found themselves behind at halftime by two goals. The Quakers made their two shots on goal count as they beat Landon Hoehn in the Comet goal. First, Casey Miller scored a header off a long throw-in from Mitch Solle in the 39th minute. Then, just before halftime Wilmington doubled their lead on a penalty kick goal from Ryan Forino. 

Capital's best first half chance came in the 34th minute on a blocked shot from Jack Kossoudji. The sophomore found himself in front of goal with a handful of Wilmington defenders between him and the goal as the Quakers' goalkeeper was out of position. Kossoudji's shot was saved by the Wilmington defender on the line, keeping the Comets scoreless at the time and into the halftime intermission. 

Out of the break, Capital countered to precision, halving the deficit. Mujahid Abdel-Ghani sent a ball through to Jack Francisco. On the counterattack, Francisco out-paced the Quaker defense and then cut across the top of the box to slam home a left-footed shot past the Quaker goalkeeper. The goal lifted the spirits of the Comets and gave them some life. 

Despite the momentum swing, Wilmington got a third, looking to set the game out of reach as Brady Vilvens finished off a counterattack goal, making the score 3-1 in favor of the hosts. 

Just four minutes later, Francisco doubled his tally, bringing Cap within one. Receiving a pass from Bailey Lach, Francisco chested the ball down and ripped a volley from approximately 30 yards from goal to the lower left corner of net, catching Felix Mauer asleep in the Quaker goal. 

With the new sense of urgency, Cap continued their march. Abdel-Ghani drew a foul right about 40 yards out in the 83rd minute of play. Free kick specialist Jarrett Puckett stepped up the ball and blasted a knuckling free kick to the upper left corner of the net, leveling the score at 3-3. The free kick was Puckett's second knuckleball goal of the season off a set piece after he scored a similar type of shot against Muskingum earlier this season. 

With all the momentum on their side of the ball, Capital pressed for the winner. That winner eventually came in the 90th minute with just 56 seconds left on the clock. Bailey Lach muscled his way through the Quaker defense and clipped a cross into the box where Francisco reacted quickest and snapped a header down to the lower right corner of the net, setting the Comets bench into an absolute frenzy. 

The Comets held on for the final seconds of play and sparked an elated celebration as the team will now move on to the OAC Tournament Semifinals on Thursday evening. 

As a team, Capital outshot Wilmington 26-8 in the match and held an even greater edge in shots on goal with 11-3. Capital's Kellen Sargent came into the match for the final 22 minutes and was credited with the win. Felix Mauer in the Wilmington net took the loss and made six saves on the evening. 

Francisco's hat trick is the first by a Capital player since Mitch Hughes netted three goals against Wilmington in 2019. The sophomore attacker now has a team-high eight goals this season.
Lach's pair of assists now gives him six this year, the most by a Comet since the 2019 season when Greg Knox had seven assists. 

Playing at Williams Stadium for the second time in just six days gave Capital a slight edge in familiarity of their opponent, as Cap traveled to Wilmington just last Wednesday for a regular season match in which the Quakers won 1-0. 

After winning the more important tournament game, Capital will now travel to the No. 1 seeded John Carroll Blue Streaks on Thursday at 7 p.m.