LEXINGTON, Va. – In one of its best outings of the season, the Virginia Military Institute men's soccer team fell in heartbreaking fashion, dropping a 3-2 overtime decision to last season's Big South Conference champion, Liberty University Tuesday evening.

The Flames got the deciding goal in the 94^th minute as Johnny Torres scored his first goal of the season on a diving header on the back post. Travis Joseph crossed in his second assist of the day for the game-winner.

In its highest offensive output in the month of October, VMI got two goals from two different Keydets. Matt Seinfeld scored his first goal since Sept. 29 while Blake McCauley scored his third of the year and first since the same game, a 3-2 loss against Campbell University. Seinfeld's goal snapped a 441 minute scoreless drought for the Keydets, dating back to the 34^th minute of that game.

Joseph led the day in points with four, notching a pair of assists and pushing one goal across, while he and Torres were joined in the goal column by Kyle Breitmeyer.

VMI's keeper, Daniel Kitchen, gave it everything he could, turning aside eight of Liberty's 11 shots on goal while facing down 21 total shots. Opposite Kitchen, Scott Sutarick made a trio of saves in the 94-minute match.

Patchin Field, home to the Keydet soccer programs, has been kind to the men's side this season, having scored seven goals at home. VMI keepers have logged 33 saves at Patchin Field this year.

Liberty (6-6-0, 4-1-0 BSC) outshot the Keydets 21-13 on the afternoon, putting 11 of those attempts on cage. VMI attempted five shots on goal, scoring on two of those attempts. Seinfeld and McCauley each had two shots on frame while Chase Barnett accounted for the fifth.

The Flames held a large advantage in corner kicks, taking 11 tries, including seven in the second half. VMI earned just one corner, which came in the first stanza. Both teams, which are separated by just 45 miles, reached double-digit fouls, with the Keydets whistled 14 times against Liberty's 11.

Overtime is nothing new to this series, which played its 19^th match since it began in 1982. In four out of the last five meetings, the contest has needed overtime, including a pair of double-overtime games. Despite Liberty improving to 16-1-2 in the series, VMI has challenged as of late, with the last six meetings decided by two goals or less, including one-goal games each of the last three matchups.

The Keydets (1-11-1, 0-6-1 BSC) pushed the defending league champions to overtime in what proved to be a back-and-forth game. Liberty scored the first marker of the day just one and a half minutes in, on Breitmeyer's goal assisted by both Joseph and Uriah Bentick. The Keydets leveled the match as Seinfeld delivered his second goal of the season. Seinfeld broke away after getting a ball from Kyle Farmer. Seinfeld's initial shot struck the goalpost, but after corralling the rebound, Seinfeld knocked the first game-tying goal across.

Just seven minutes later, Liberty once again took the lead on Joseph's goal. The Flame midfielder stripped a VMI defender and notched his first goal of the season to give Liberty a 2-1 lead, which held up until the 52^nd minute of the match.

Coming out of the halftime break, McCauley controlled a deflection from a Flame defender at the top of the box before striking his third of the year and leveling the match for a second time, 2-2. The contest was scoreless until Torres' game-winner in the 94^th minute.

VMI hits the road for a three-game swing, beginning on Saturday with a trip to North Carolina to take on the Bulldogs of UNC Asheville. Action is set for noon at Greenwood Soccer Field.