WASHINGTON, D.C. — The Catholic University men's soccer team downed Drew in an instant classic on Thursday night to book its ticket to the Landmark Conference Championship.

The opening 15 minutes of the match were cagey before Catholic went behind in the 16th minute. Ryan Fischer rose highest to nod home from a Gabe Di Pierro's service directly from a corner, making good on the first shot on target by either team in the match.

Catholic outshot Drew 8-4 in the first half but both teams managed to put two shots on target. The Cardinals then used the interval to regroup and form a plan of attack for the second half.

The Cardinals struggled to create anything of real substance until a moment of brilliance in the 68th minute. 

After a shot was blocked and the ball bounced loose in the penalty area, Ryan Kelly was quickest to react, lashing a powerful strike toward Brandon Jachera's goal. The junior's pure hit struck the crossbar and flew down into the side-netting, pulling Catholic level and sending the Cardinals into a euphoric celebration at the corner flag.

Catholic almost pulled ahead just two minutes later when Gordie Bernlohr laid out to get on the end of a deep cross from the right. The Landmark Conference top-scorer's header was destined for the top corner but a stunning save from Jachera kept the match knotted at 1-1.

Drew created a couple of half chances toward the end of the match but alert goalkeeping from Owen Allegro kept them out. Allegro did well to come out of his area to cut out dangerous through balls on two occasions.

Key Catholic defender Mudi Jagha made an important block with about four minutes to go in regular time, forcing a shot behind for a corner. The junior was then forced to exit due to cramps, causing Liam Giblin to have to slot in next to Owen Maher and Maxim Pencak in the back three. Jagha did return to the match late in the second overtime period.

Drama then ensued as the match went beyond 90 minutes. 

The first overtime period was also a cagey one and the sides looked destined to go to the short halftime-of-extra-time break still even. However, as time ticked down, Nate Keller whipped a dangerous ball in behind the Cardinal back line for Kevin Kiernan to attack.

The Landmark Conference's leading assist-man Kiernan did not make the cleanest contact, but Allegro was unable to keep it out. The goalkeeper sprawled in an attempt to claw it out but the ball had just crossed the line, pushing Drew into an unlikely lead with just 11 seconds remaining in the first overtime period.

The Cardinals threw caution to the wind in the second overtime stanza knowing that they had just 10 minutes to salvage their situation.

Catholic pushed forward to earn a corner kick in the 102nd minute before an unlikely hero emerged. Sophomore Michael Cafiero rose in the crowded penalty area to power home a header from Kelly's service, dragging the Cardinals level. Cafiero, who is the only player on the team to feature in every match this season without getting a single start, picked the perfect time to notch his first collegiate goal.

Now with all the momentum, Catholic pushed forward looking for the winner.

With just three minutes remaining, the Cardinals were awarded a free kick for a handball offense about 30 yards from goal. While Drew was focused on setting its wall, Kelly and Bernlohr were looking for an advantage. The junior saw Bernlohr running from near the "D" and slid a low pass to the left of the four-man wall. Bernlohr, facing Jachera one-on-one, made no mistake, slotting into the far corner and sending Catholic to dreamland.

The Cardinals held on for the final three minutes, largely thanks to Allegro. The freshman came up with a massive double save with a minute left, thwarting Jonathan Gutierrez and then keeping out Ethan Steinbiss with an even better second save.

Catholic overcame two deficits to win the match, having only led for three out of the total 110 minutes. For the third time in his last five matches, Kelly provided two assists in the same match. He contributed to all three goals in tonight's match while Bernlohr's goal marks his conference-best 13th of the season.

The top-seeded Cardinals will host No. 2 Lycoming on Saturday at 1 p.m. after the Warriors handled Goucher comfortably in the other semifinal. Both teams posted an identical conference record of 7-0-2 and played to a 1-1 draw in their head-to-head meeting this season.

An automatic bid to the DIII NCAA Men's Soccer Tournament will be on the line on Saturday.