Pfeiffer Rallies From 5-0 Hole, Wins OT Thriller Over Southwestern (TX)

MISENHEIMER, N.C. (March 1, 2026) — Pfeiffer University erased a five-goal first-quarter deficit and completed a dramatic comeback with Tiger Hopkins' man-down overtime winner, lifting the Falcons to a 13–12 victory over Southwestern (TX) on Sunday at Lefko Mills Field.

Southwestern (3–1) blitzed Pfeiffer early, racing to a 5–0 lead after the opening quarter, fueled by two goals apiece from Matthew Swandal and Dylan Knighten. The Pirates extended their advantage to 8–2 midway through the second before the Falcons (4–2) began to surge.

Pfeiffer erupted for six goals in the second quarter, including tallies from Davis Palombo, Bashwyn Fitch, Ethan Miles, and Trent Orr, cutting the deficit to 8–6 at halftime. Fitch and Orr combined for four goals in the period, jump-starting an offense that had been held scoreless for the first 15 minutes.

The Falcons continued to chip away in the third. Fitch struck again just seconds into the period, and Dylan Sullivan tied the game at 8–8 with 5:44 left in the quarter. Southwestern answered with two goals to regain a 10–8 edge entering the fourth.

Pfeiffer refused to fade, rallying once more in the final frame. Sullivan scored again at 8:37, and Gabriel Barker converted on the man-up advantage at 5:12, trimming the Pirates' lead to one. Hopkins then buried an equalizer with 2:41 remaining, assisted by Miles, tying the game at 11–11. After Southwestern briefly retook the lead at the 53-second mark, Miles answered with 1:11 remaining, setting up overtime with the teams locked at 12.

In overtime, even a man-down situation couldn't slow Pfeiffer. After a Southwestern turnover, Hopkins cut into the slot and ripped home the golden goal off a feed from Miles at 2:11 of the extra period, sealing the Falcons' fourth win of the season and sending the home crowd into celebration.

Fitch and Sullivan led Pfeiffer with four points each, while Miles added two goals and four assists, including helpers on all three of Hopkins' tallies. Goalie Korbin Hamilton anchored the Falcons defensively with 19 saves on 31 shots on goal.

Pfeiffer returns to action next week as it hosts Huntingdon in the USA South opener on Saturday, March 7 at 2:00 p.m at Lefko-Mills Field