After 40 minutes of play in regulation and nearly five more in overtime, the Colonial Club and varsity squash team remained deadlocked at one goal apiece in the intramural soccer championship game.
Following a foul on Colonial junior forward Eric Markfield by squash netminder McKay inside the box, Colonial was awarded a penalty kick. With Markfield incapacitated and unable to make the attempt, Roberts took the shot in his place.
“I was just thinking about doing it for E,” Roberts said. “I figured it would be an easy shot.”
As Roberts wound up, McKay moved to his right, and Roberts fired the ball into the upper righthand corner of the net, just beyond McKay’s outstretched hands.
“I was looking to my left,” Roberts said. “But I always like to go to the right.”
Roberts’ goal gave Colonial a 2-1 lead it would not relinquish, despite a furious onslaught by the squash team in the game’s final minutes. In the waning moments of the game, McKay even left the net in a last-ditch effort to provide the equalizer.
Having gained a corner kick with less than 30 seconds remaining in the game, the squash team nearly put a shot, only to be thwarted by Colonial goalie junior Adam Hugh. Time expired shortly after Hugh, a nationally ranked table tennis player, punted the ball downfield toward the squash goal.
The dramatic come-from-behind finish marked the end to a hard-fought game between the two teams, each of whom defeated teams from the Grad College to reach the finals.
The squash team opened the game’s scoring when sophomore James Thorman knocked a shot past Hugh near the end of the first half. Thorman is also a photographer for The Daily Princetonian.
Meanwhile, Colonial seemed unable to solve McKay, who stopped every shot he saw in the first half.
“It appeared that they had a giant for a goal,” said senior Dan Pall, Colonial’s interim head coach. “That’s tough to overcome because you can’t teach God-given talent.”
“We might not have the physical attributes,” Pall added, “but we did have moxie and sass, good old-fashioned hustle and most importantly, the will to win.”
To that end, Colonial answered back in the second half, as senior Tim Cheston beat McKay off an inbound from a corner kick to tie the game.
Colonial managed to keep the game close despite not receiving any goals in regulation from their standouts — Roberts, Markfield, and seniors Dave Rose and Tommy Curry.
“When you want to ride to victory, you just gotta jump on the horse,” Pall said. “And we’re fortunate enough to have [the aforementioned] four horsemen of the apocalypse.”
On the squash side, the team was led by McKay, nationally ranked junior Mauricio Sanchez and the Sopher twins, Peter and Phillip.
In spite of those good thoughts, it took the demise of Colonial star Markfield to spark the underdog eating club.
“I don’t worry about Markfield,” Pall said. “It’s five players, one goalie, and him … he’s one of the main reasons I felt like we were a team of destiny.”
Out front with a one-on-one breakaway approaching the squash goal, Markfield met McKay, who accidentally struck the forward’s ankle, sending him sprawling past the goal line.
“I went for the ball and just got his leg instead, but that’s still a foul,” McKay said.
The foul set up Roberts’ game-wining kick, which completed Colonial’s come-from-behind win.
Despite the loss, McKay and his teammates remained in good spirits.
“It’s fun to have the opportunity to take a championship game to overtime,” he said. “It was exciting, well played by everyone — just a great game.”
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