WENHAM, Mass.—Senior Kevin Payne (Grant Pass, Ore.) scored just four minutes into overtime to break a 1-1 tie and the Fighting Scots survived a scare from visiting Endicott on Homecoming Saturday. The Gulls scored first midway through the second half, but goals by Caleb Cole (Coatesville, Pa.) and Payne kept Gordon atop the Commonwealth Coast Conference standings following a 2-1 win on the Quad.
 
Gordon battled a thick mist and less than perfect conditions on the Quad grass, which limited their effectiveness on the offensive end in the early stages. The Fighting Scots were still able to control possession for much of the first half and completely shutdown Endicott's counter-attack—the Scots outshot the Gulls 4-0 in the first half.
 
With the offense stuck, Endicott settled into its defensive end and packed in the back quarter of the field to stifle the Scots' offense. Every time Gordon won a free kick or a corner, Endicott's defensive effort was able to clear the ball away before any damage was done. The two teams went to halftime scoreless.
 
The second half had a different feel as both teams grew accustomed to soaked pitch and the offenses were afforded more roam to create. Gordon increased its lead in shot totals with four good looks early in the second period, but Alex Jorge (Billerica, Mass.) made three saves to keep the game knotted. The Gulls earned its first scoring opportunity in the 54^th minute, but Diego Slobtzky's (Mexico City, Mexico) attempt went just wide of the net.
 
Just four minutes later, Endicott ran a set piece following a foul from about 35 yards out. The free-kick found the head of Carter Ocko (Danvers, Mass.) on the left side of the goal. Ocko headed it across the face of the goal to Shintaroh Itoh (Tokyo, Japan), who finished the play with a header score. Despite only two shots through 60 minutes, Endicott held a 1-0 lead.
 
The Fighting Scots mounted a furious rally on their offensive end, but struggled to find the back of the net despite a few close calls. Gordon finally took advantage of an opportunity in the 73^rd minute when Cole finished off a flick on by Nathan Bilbie (Shrewsbury, Pa.). Bilbie won a cross in the air and shouldered the ball over an open Cole. The sophomore midfielder took the ball back toward the center of the field and ripped a shot from right to left past Jorge.
 
Gordon looked like it might have its game-winner with less than two minutes remaining in regulation, but Evan Crocker's (Akron, Ohio) shot went just right of the post into the webbing on the outside of the goal.
 
The Fighting Scots didn't take long to complete the comeback in overtime. Cole got possession of a ball on a through ball up the right side, beating two defenders to the touch line to the right of the Endicott net. Cole one-time a low ball at the near post, where Payne was able to swoop in and finish with a chip shot just inside the post. 

Gordon improves to 10-1 on the season and 4-0 in CCC play, while Endicott falls to .500 at 5-5-1. Gordon won the major stat categories including shots (15-7) and corners (8-3).
 
The Fighting Scots travel to Keene State on Tuesday for a 6:30 p.m. start before returning home next Saturday for a CCC matchup with Nichols. The Bison were the only team to beat the Fighting Scots during the 2013 regular season.