CEDARVILLE, Ohio (Oct. 22) - A goal in the 88th minute dealt the Tigers a 3-2 heartbreaking loss to Cedarville Thursday night in Great Midwest Athletic Conference (G-MAC) play at Yellow Jacket Stadium.

The loss sends the Salem International University men's soccer team to 6-5 in G-MAC play, 8-6-1 overall. Meanwhile, the Yellow Jackets improve to 12-3-1 overall and 9-2 atop the league standings. The win also clinches the regular season title and No. 1 seed in the upcoming postseason tournament for the Jackets.

Cedarville got off to a fast start with a goal in the fifth minute of the match and were gifted an own-goal in the 23rd minute to race out to a 2-0 lead.

The Tigers did not go quietly into the night, as senior Alexandre Costet (Saint Eteinne, France/Leonard de Vinci) headed in a ball from freshman James Cockshott (Godmanchester, England/Hinchingbrooke) to slice the lead to one heading into halftime.

Cedarville was in a festive mood Thursday evening, as the Yellow Jackets gave the Tigers a gift of their own in the 57th minute, the second own-goal of the match, to even the score at 2-2 and setup an exciting finish.

Despite a splendid defensive effort for the majority of the game, the Yellow Jackets slipped behind the Tiger defense in the 88th minute and beat sophomore goalkeeper Dom Gillespie (Whitley Bay, England/Whitley Bay) to tally the game winning goal.

Gillespie, the reigning G-MAC Athlete of the Week, made three saves in the loss and was aided by a great defensive effort in front of him. Cederville's Connor Gilmour, who leads the league with 14 goals this season, was bottled up for the majority of the match by the Tiger backline, headed by sophomore Jan Deters (Hamburg, Germany/Gymnasium Fridericianum).

Salem International was out-shot nine-to-eight for the match, with each team putting six shots on net. Cedarville also held a slight four-to-three edge in corner kicks.

The Tigers return to action this Saturday, Oct. 24 when they take on West Virginia Tech in a non-conference showdown at 5 p.m.