LEXINGTON, Va. ? After 104 minutes of nip-and-tuck action, VMI men's soccer dropped a 3-2 contest to the Coastal Carolina Chanticleers Sunday afternoon at Patchin Field in the Big South opener for both teams.

In the 105^th minute, the Chanticleers' (3-6, 1-0 Big South) Carlos Recinos took a pass from Riley Phelps, and beat Keydet (0-7, 0-1 Big South) goalkeeper Adrian Dominguez to give the visitors the thrilling win.

The contest began with three fouls in the first minute, and VMI's Barrett Luxhoj receiving a yellow card at the 5:02 mark. Both would be indicators of the physical play that would take place, as 49 fouls were called on the day, and the Keydets were assessed six yellow cards and a pair of red cards.

The majority of the first 35 minutes of the contest were played in the middle third of the field, with VMI attempting four shots and the Chanticleers firing one.

At the 38:55 mark, there was a battle in front of the Coastal Carolina net. As the ball was tipped into the air, VMI co-captain Stephen Anderson attempted a header, which hit the crossbar after bouncing off the ground at the goal line. Daniel Welsh then alertly tipped the loose ball past the Coastal keeper, putting the Keydets up 1-0. The goal was the first of Welsh's career.

The Chanticleers mounted a rally late in the half, but VMI starting goalkeeper Brian Sowell stopped a shot attempt to preserve the VMI halftime lead. In the opening half, there were 22 total fouls, and Coastal keeper Phillip Latham made three saves.

Just 1:39 into the second half, the home team extended its advantage. Andrew Self, who made his first career start Sunday, found Tony Nweke with a right-to-left pass and the junior forward tucked a shot into the left-hand corner of the net, to give VMI a 2-0 advantage. The goal was Nweke's first of the season.

From there, the Chanticleers attempted to rally, as they forced VMI to make four saves in a ten-minute span including a team save in the 56^th minute. A Brian Harding effort at 61:41 hit the right post, and the score remained 2-0 with under 30 minutes to play.

With just over 22 minutes to play, Coastal finally converted, scoring off a Robert Hunter free kick to cut the lead in half, 2-1. Just four minutes later, at 71:12, the Chanticleers' Ross Kelly notched the tying goal, squaring the score at 2 apiece.

Late in the 76^th minute, the visitors were awarded a penalty kick. Kelly, who had scored just minutes prior, attempted the kick, but VMI keeper Sowell made a diving save to his right to preserve the tie. After the play, the VMI standout goalkeeper appeared to suffer an injury. Due to Sowell's apparent injury, he was removed at the 82:48 mark and replaced by freshman Adrian Dominguez.

Moments later, the Keydets were assessed a red card, forcing them to play a man down for the remainder of the contest. Despite that, VMI was able to hold defensively and maintain the 2-2 tie into overtime. During regulation time, Coastal attempted 14 shots, while the Keydets tried nine. There were 41 total fouls called, and the Chanticleers held a 7-5 edge in corner kicks.

The first overtime was a defensive battle, but each team had quality scoring opportunities. A Coastal Carolina forward fired a shot high early on, and late in the period, VMI freshman Jacob MacIntyre also was high on a shot attempt. With under a minute to play in the period, Coastal's Kelly attempted a shot that was cleared by a VMI defender, maintaining the 2-2 tie.

The visiting Chanticleers came out quickly in the second extra frame, attempting a trio of shots in the first four minutes. In the 105^th minute, VMI was assessed its second red card of the game, forcing the home team to play two men down. The Chanticleers quickly converted, as Recinos scored the game-winner, beating Dominguez to the VMI keeper's left to end the marathon battle.

On the day, VMI attempted 10 shots, while the Chanticleers tried 20. Six of the visitors' 20 shot attempts came in extra time. VMI was called for 29 fouls, including six in overtime, while Coastal Carolina was whistled for 20. Latham made five saves for the Chanticleers, while VMI's Sowell made six. Dominguez made a pair of saves in relief of Sowell.

With the win, the Chanticleers move to 3-6 on the season and 1-0 in the Big South. VMI drops to 0-7 and 0-1 in conference play. The Keydets return to action next Saturday, as they travel to Asheville, N.C., to face the UNC Asheville Bulldogs. The game is currently scheduled for 2 p.m., and will be broadcast live on the Big South Edge for a small fee.