FAIRMONT — For the first time since Sept. 19, 2016, the Fairmont Area boys soccer team cleared the .500 mark.

The Cardinals beat the Mankato Loyola Crusaders 3-2 in overtime during a nonconference boys soccer game Tuesday at Kot Soccer Complex in Fairmont, giving the Cardinals a 6-5-1 record on the season.

The winning goal came off a corner kick with 4:30 left in the first overtime period.

Dan Brummond took the corner kick from the right sideline and sent the ball into a mass of players. Amos Broomfield tipped the ball off a Crusader defender and into the net.

Mankato Loyola advanced the ball in the final nine minutes of play and took three shots on goal and a corner kick, but Fairmont Area keeper Tyson Geerdes kept the Crusaders off the scoreboard for the remaining overtime minutes.

Geerdes ended with 13 saves to net the win.

At the start of the game, players were buffetted with high winds and pounding rain, but the Cardinals were able to put away two goals before a lightning delay.

Amos Broomfield got the Cardinals on the board early when he coralled a loose kick back toward midfield from a Crusader. Broomfield kept the ball and dribbled past multiple defenders down the left side of the field before entering the goalie box and powering a shot off the right post that bounced in past the Crusader keeper with 39:06 left in the first period.

The Crusaders tried to equalize on a penalty kick, but Geerdes faked to his right, then leaned left toward the middle of the goal for the save.

Fairmont Area scored again, this time off a set kick, with 18:55 left in the opening half.

Brummond sent the ball into the goalie box from 35 yards out and Cole Christopher connected on a shot into the right side of the net to put the Cardinals ahead 2-0.

Directly after the goal, a lightning delay that lasted just under an hour was started at 7:13 p.m.

Fairmont Area head coach Brady Meyer said the lightning delay affected the Cardinals.

“We had a great pre-rain (delay) game,” Meyer said. “Then we kind of came back flat after the lightning delay. We were able to pull it together, especially in overtime when we needed to. We kind of created some of our own luck there.”

When play resumed at 8:12 p.m., the Crusaders needed only three minutes before putting their first goal of the game into the net.

Off a corner kick from the right sideline, the ball was tipped into the air and the Crusaders’ Sandro Spielbuchles lept over the Fairmont Area defense and headed the ball into the right side of the webbing.

Mankato Loyola was then able to put in the equalizer with 14:36 left in the game when Wilber Coca Romero dribbled into a one-on-one with Geerdes and put the ball into the bottom left corner of the net.

With an over .500 record and only three regular season games remaining, Meyer said the Cardinals need to focus on their short game to end the season with a winning record for the first time in Meyer’s head coaching tenure.

“What we need to do is get back to how we played in that first half,” Meyer said. “Working the ball up, keeping possession. That’s our key goal going forward.”

There were many yellow cards accessed to both teams throughout the game.

Fairmont Area’s Amos Broomfield was given a card with 31:13 left in regulation and the Cardinals’ Kaleb Hoye was shown a yellow at the 11:23 mark of the second half, which was quickly followed by a card to the Cardinal bench. Finally, Fairmont Area’s Joshua Bergt was carded with 21 seconds left in the final overtime period.

Makato Loyola’s Coca Romero was carded with 14:36 left in regulation, then DougRay Siebenahler earned a yellow at the 4:36 mark of the second half.

Fairmont Area (6-5-1) travels to face Waseca at 4:30 p.m. Thursday. Mankato Loyola (2-9-1) plays host to St. Peter at 5 p.m. Thursday.

Loyola 1-1-0-0–2

Fairmont 2-0-1-0–3

Scoring Plays

1st Half

FA–Amos Broomfield (unassisted), 39:06.

FA–Cole Christopher (Dan Brummond), 18:55.

ML–Sandro Spielbuchles (unassisted), 15:02.

2nd Half

ML–Wilber Coca Romero (unassisted), 17:30.

1st Overtime

FA–Amos Broomfield (own goal), 4:30.

2nd Overtime

No scoring.

Shots on goal: Fairmont Ares 8; Mankato Loyola 16. Corners: Fairmont Area 3; Mankato Loyola 3.

Saves: Tyson Geerdes (FA) 9-2-1-2–14; Jack Richards (ML) 1-3-1-0–5.

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Girls Soccer

Fairmont Area 4, Mankato Loyola 0 — Ellie Schultze and Mackenzie Householder each distributed two assists and goalkeeper Cadence Becker netted her second shutout without having to make a save to power the Cardinals to a 4-0 weather-shortened victory over the Crusaders on Tuesday night in Mankato.

Joni Becker opened the Big South Conference contest by converting Ellie Schultze’s initial assist into a goal at the 12:36 juncture of the opening half.

Rayah Quiring then doubled the Cardinals’ margin to 2-0 by cashing in a pass from Householder with 8:18 remaining before intermission.

Emma Schultze then converted her sister Ellie Schultze’s second helper into a goal at the 35:45 mark of the second half to extend Fairmont Area’s lead to 3-0.

Savanah Baker then cashed in Householder’s second assist of the contest for a goal with 21:42 remaining in regulation for a 4-0 advantage. The game was called due to lightning and rain at that juncture.

Loyola netkeeper Paige Olinger turned away 13 of Fairmont Area’s 17 shots on goal.

Fairmont Area (10-2-1, 7-2-1 Big South) is idle until next Tuesday night when it plays host to Marshall at 7 p.m. at Kot Soccer Complex.

Alexis Newville scored a goal and assisted on another to help guide Fairmont Area to a 5-0 victory over Mankato Loyola during junior varsity action Tuesday in Mankato.

Lizzie Nielsen, Alysen Lindquist, Newville, Angel Smith and Selma Bleess each produced goals for the Cardinals.

Allison Janssen and Newville dished out the assists for Fairmont Area, while Hannah Bergt, Hannah Goerndt and Jayden Mayhall shared the goalkeeping duties.