ANNANDALE-ON-HUDSON, N.Y. - Playing against a team on the brink of earning a Liberty League playoff spot, Bard College senior goalkeeper Deven Connelly knew he'd be tested on Saturday.

He certainly was. And he passed with flying colors in the last home game of his collegiate career.

Connelly was brilliant, and the 0-0 tie Bard earned against RPI spoiled the Engineers' dreams of making the conference tournament.

Rensselaer (2-3-3 Liberty League, 6-4-4 overall) had the better of the play in the first half, producing five shots but just one on goal. Bard had none but the game at least appeared close.

That all changed in the second half. RPI needed to beat Bard and get help from other teams to make the playoffs, so the urgency and intensity picked up as the Engineers pressed forward. They spent most of the half on the Bard side of the field, and as the corner kicks accumulated, the pressure on Connelly mounted.

He punched away several crosses off of set pieces, and on two different occasions when he was caught out of position, shots were cleared off the line by Ammar Al-Rubaiay in one instance, and Yu Sung Eo in another, both in the second half.

All this time, Bard still hadn't produced a single shot toward the RPI goal.

The first overtime saw much of the same dominance by RPI, and more decisive, aggressive play from Connelly. But it was in the second overtime that he literally saved the game.

With just over five minutes left in the second OT, RPI junior Adam Updegrove (Carson City, NV) collected a loose ball inside the box off another corner kick and ripped a hard shot from 12 yards out. Connelly made a reaction dive toward the far post, and he nudged the shot wide with his right hand just in time as the RPI bench groaned.

In the end, RPI held a 21-0 advantage in shots (8-0 in shots on goal,) and a 10-0 edge in corners. But they couldn't get one past Connelly, giving Bard it's first-ever point in the Liberty League standings in any sport.

Connelly made eight saves for the Raptors, 0-6-1 in the Liberty League, 4-11-1 overall.

Next up for Bard is a non-conference game at SUNY Purchase on Tuesday night at 7.

NOTE: This was the last home game for seven Bard seniors: Connelly, Jacob Hartog, Stergios Mentesidis, Sam Wendel, Jonah Peterschild, Brendan Whittaker and Damianos Lazarides. They were honored at halftime.