WASHINGTON, D.C. — After an electric double overtime victory against fourth-seeded Drew, Catholic men's soccer has earned the right to host the Landmark Conference Championship match on Saturday at 1 p.m. on Carlini Field. 

The Cardinals led for just three minutes in a 3-2 double overtime victory, overcoming multiple deficits throughout the contest. Ryan Kelly, Michael Cafiero and Gordie Bernlohr handled the goal-scoring duties on Thursday night as Bernlohr's finish came in the 106th minute and proved to be the difference. 

On the other side, second-seeded Lycoming enters Saturday's match after a dominant 6-1 victory over Goucher. Lycoming has a chance to capture a Landmark Conference title in its first season as a member of the Landmark Conference. 

Similar to last night's contest, Catholic needed to come from behind to secure the top seed in the Landmark Conference Tournament in 2023. The Cardinals secured a huge win over Juniata on the final Saturday of the regular season while Lycoming dropped points to Elizabethtown after a goalless draw. Catholic equaled the Warriors at 7-0-2 and claimed the top spot via tie-breaking procedure. This marked the fourth-straight season in which Travis Beauchamp's team entered the tournament as the top seed.

Catholic enters the weekend in pursuit of its sixth Landmark Conference crown, all coming under Beauchamp. This will be the ninth time that Beauchamp has led his program to the Landmark Conference Championship game with the Cardinals coming away victorious in their two most recent trips to the title game in 2019 and 2021.

This will be the Warriors second trip to Carlini Field this year after a 1-1 draw with the Cardinals back on Oct. 14. Joey Francis' third goal of the season put Lycoming ahead in the 41st-minute, but Catholic answered back as Bernlohr slotted his seventh tally of the campaign in the 70th minute. Catholic held the advantage in shots (23-10) and shots on target (9-5) in the contest.

Statistically, Catholic has proved to be the better attacking side in 2023, scoring 40 goals in 19 games thus far. The Cardinals' average of 2.1 goals per contest is second-best in the Landmark and edges Lycoming (1.55) by more than half a goal per contest. The Warriors have scored 31 goals in 20 matches this season. 

On the flip side, Lycoming has proved the stingier defensive side, leading the conference in goals allowed per game at just 0.85. The Warriors have allowed just 17 goals while the Cardinals have allowed 24, good for 1.26 per contest. 

The leader offensively for Catholic is Bernlohr as the senior continues to pace the conference with 13 goals scored this season. Bernlohr became the fifth Cardinal in the Division III era to score 13 or more goals in a season with his finish last night. His 30 career goals tie him for third in Catholic's Division III history and pushed him past two-time Landmark Conference Offensive Player of the Year and recent graduate Darius Siahposh for career goal contributions. Finally, last night's goal put him in rarefied air nationally as it marked his sixth game-winning goal of the season, putting him sixth in all of Division III. 

Kelly (5 G, 6 A) and Domenico Caltabiano (5 G, 4 A) have been crucial offensively for Catholic as well. Kelly has been brilliant as of late, handing out two assists each in three of the team's last five contests. Kelly has also scored a goal in three of the last five games, including the past two contests for Catholic. Caltabiano also ramped up his production later in the season, logging four goals and three assists in the month of October. 

Despite his role as a defender, Lycoming senior Kenny Clapp has been crucial to the team's offensive success, handing out eight assists. That mark ties him for second in the Landmark and 32nd nationally. The attack-minded outside back has three games with at least two assists, including last night's win over Goucher. Four different players have scored exactly four goals for Lycoming's balanced offense with Owen Magee and Christian Woobay each handing out three assists. 

Nick Wilke is the heart and soul of the Lycoming team, leading the nation in goalkeeper minutes played while ranking fourth nationally with 10 shutouts. Wilkes has 71 saves and an 11-3-6 record this season. 

For Catholic, Mudi Jagha has slotted seamlessly into the backline, starting every match prior to the regular season finale. Owen Maher, who has played the most minutes of any outfield player this season, and Jacksonville transfer Maxim Pencak have also been mainstays in defense as Catholic have shifted between four and five in the back throughout the season. Liam Giblin and Andrew Lowman are also vital to Catholic's success. Both players can feature as traditional outside backs in a back four or shift to wingbacks in a back five, and are extremely attack-minded regardless of formation or defined role. Lowman has one goal and two assists to his name. Owen Allegro has 55 saves this season in net for Catholic, including eight in the semifinal win over Drew.

A bid to the NCAA Tournament will be on the line when these two teams kickoff at 1 pm on Saturday afternoon in D.C.

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