ANNANDALE-ON-HUDSON, N.Y. - It was an unusually hot day for late September.

It was an unusually chippy game, with eight yellow cards issued. Two of the bookings, in an odd twist, went to the visiting coaching staff.

There was a saved PK which became a goal anyway. And it took a bizarre equalizer to send the game to overtime.

But once it was in overtime, it was RPI beating Bard, this time 3-2 on a golden header by Brandon Pirog (Jackson, NJ) in the 92nd minute.

It was a thriller. Austin Betterly (Plymouth Meeting, PA) gave the Engineers a 1-0 lead on a pretty goal in the 12th minute. A long ball was played down the right wing from Danny Corridan (Queens, NY), and Pirog edged a Bard defender to the ball as he angled toward goal. He beat Taylor Bond high to the short side.

Just under seven minutes later, Bard tied it up. A take down in the box gave the Raptors a penalty kick, but Jake Cicero's attempt was amazingly saved by Matt LaBranche (Wilbraham, MA). The RPI bench exploded with joy as the stop, then sank in despair because Nick Shenberger pounced on the rebound and blasted it inside the far post seconds later.

The score remained 1-1 until the 62nd minute. RPI's determination to work the ball down the wing paid off when Dylan Confair (Williamsport, PA) found Pirog with a low cross right on the doorstep, and he finished. At that point, up 2-1, the Engineers slowed the game down a bit and worked to manage Bard's increasing desperation.

It wasn't producing much in the way of scoring opportunities, but Bard made the most of the one it had. Shenberger was taken down about 22 yards out, and RPI set up a wall for his ensuing free kick. His blast hit the head of someone in the wall, and the ball went straight up and drifted toward the far post. It was up there for a while.

LaBranche got over there but fanned with his left hand, and the ball went in. It was tied in the 89th minute.

In the overtime, RPI's work on the wing paid off one final time. Confair struck a rocket pass head high into the box, Pirog struck a great header, Bond made a diving attempt and got a hand on it, but it squeaked inside the far post to end the game.

Bard (3-4, 0-1) next plays at defending Liberty League champion Vassar on Wednesday at 4. Follow it live right here.