With rain turning the soccer fields at the Rock Rimmon Soccer Complex in Manchester, New Hampshire, into something more closely resembling a swamp, the Felician College Golden Falcons Men's Soccer Team won the N.A.I.A. Division X Championships. On a soggy afternoon, under gray skies, the grounds crew at the fields had an amazing task to accomplish.

Q: How do eight people drain a field flooded ankle-deep in some sections?

A: Several sump pumps, a wet-dry vac, many brooms and a lot of elbow grease.

The crew managed to clear away much of the water by 1:30 pm, however, many puddles remained, making for a rather sloppy game. With a scheduled 1:00 pm start, the #2 seeded Golden Falcons took to the field after a half-hour delay to face the #1 seeded College of Notre Dame Saints.

During the first half, Golden Falcons Gary Hanly and John McGarry, with an assist by Nick D'Anello, scored two goals which were answered by the Saints. With the score tied at the half, the fans and players welcomed a brief glimpse of the sun.

Play continued for the second 45-minute half and despite the efforts of both teams with many shots on goal, the score remained tied 2-2, and the game went into overtime.

Fresh on the minds of the players and the Golden Falcon fans was last weekend's cliffhanger against Teikyo Post to win the CACC Championship which went into four overtime periods. Collegiate Soccer regulations stipulate four 15 minute overtime periods, with the win being awarded to the first team to score a goal. Should the contest remain tied after four OT periods, the game would be settled by a shoot-out contest.

The memories of nearly an hour-long overtime at the CACC Championships were shattered by John McGarry's goal for the Golden Falcons only 20 seconds into the first overtime, giving the Felician College Golden Falcons the 3-2 win over the Notre Dame Saints.

The win at the NAIA Division X Championship sends the Golden Falcons to the NAIA National Championships in Albuquerque, New Mexico, along with 15 teams from across the country. The Golden Falcons are seeded #13 out of the 16 teams qualifying.