It took an extra 18 minutes, but the Georgetown men’s soccer team closed out the regular season with a win on Tuesday.

Forced into double overtime after the Virginia Military Institute Keydets (9-8-1) came back from a 3-1 deficit, the Hoyas were determined not to let their final home game slip away.

Launching seven shots in the second overtime period, Georgetown (11-7-1, 4-4-1 Big East) finally found the back of the net with 1:28 left in the contest.

Taking the Hoyas’ fifth corner kick of the period, senior midfielder Trevor Goodrich connected with fellow senior midfielder Dan Gargan, who headed the ball past the keeper into the right side of the goal for the game winner.

“It was a relief, to be honest,” Gargan said. “I didn’t expect to be in overtime after being up 3-1.”

None of Gargan’s teammates expected overtime either. Coming off a victory over then-No. 14 Seton Hall last Saturday, Georgetown was playing some of its best soccer of the year, but VMI was not going to be ignored.

Georgetown first got on the board in the 39th minute. Senior midfielder Kevin Sindelar headed the first goal home with an assist from Gargan. It was Sindelar’s third goal of the season and Gargan’s seventh assist.

The Hoyas’ lead did not last for long though, as the Keydets struck back less than three minutes later. After a defensive lapse by the Hoyas, VMI freshman defender Jeremy Clement, in a one-on-one with Georgetown freshman goalkeeper Joe Devine, tied the game when his challenge high in the 18-yard box got past Devine and rolled across the goal line.

On the ensuing kickoff the Hoyas wasted no time regaining their lead. Less than 30 seconds later sophomore forward Ricky Schramm found himself in the VMI box with the ball.

While setting up his shot, a Keydet defender got a hand on the ball, and the Hoyas were awarded a penalty kick. VMI sophomore midfielder Ed Mills was issued a yellow card for arguing the call, but the foul stood. Junior defender Jeff Curtin notched his fifth goal of the season with the score, putting the Hoyas up 2-1 at halftime.

In the second half the Hoyas added to their lead when junior midfielder Danny McAnally connected with Sindelar on a corner kick. Sindelar’s second goal of the game put Georgetown up 3-1, and it appeared the Hoyas were going to cruise to their third straight win.

The Keydets, however, were not going down without a fight. In the 69th minute VMI sophomore forward Charles Nweke narrowed the Hoyas’ lead to one when he rocketed a shot past Devine from 25 yards out.

The Hoyas collected themselves after the goal and for the next 17 minutes kept the score at 3-2. But Nweke, the Keydets’ leading scorer, was not done and put his second goal away in the 86th minute on a Georgetown defensive miscue.

Neither team could tally another score in the closing minutes, and the match went into overtime.

In the first overtime VMI got off two shots to Georgetown’s one, but neither were on net. In the second overtime period, however, a Hoya offensive onslaught paid off with Gargan’s score at 108:32.

“We were disappointed,” VMI Head Coach Stephen Ross said in a press release. “We had battled back from two goals down, and we had chances to put them away, but we didn’t.”

In the game the Hoyas outshot the Keydets 21-13, but the disparity was much smaller in shots on goal, with Georgetown putting eight on net to VMI’s seven. The Hoyas also dominated in corner kicks, taking 13 to the Keydets’ four, while only committing 18 fouls to VMI’s 24.

Injuries, usually not a problem for Georgetown, plagued the team on Tuesday. Gargan missed much of the first half with a hip injury, and sophomore defender Tim Convey was out for most of the second half with an ankle injury. Both players returned to the game and are expected to play on Saturday. Senior forward Kaiser Chowdhry, who has missed the last three contests, is questionable for Saturday.

“We’re pretty deep,” Georgetown Head Coach Keith Tabatznik said. “I don’t see injuries being a problem.”

This Saturday Georgetown will face Villanova (7-5-5, 5-3-2 Big East) in the Big East quarterfinals in Villanova, Pa. The Hoyas played host to the Wildcats in October and lost 2-1, despite outshooting Villanova 26-5.

“We’re looking forward to playing them,” Goodrich said of facing the Wildcats, “but I don’t think they want to play us.”

Big East championship games are single elimination. If the Hoyas win, they will advance to face either No. 4 Notre Dame or No. 21 Seton Hall, the first and eighth seeds in the tournament, respectively.

Beyond the Big East, the Hoyas still have their eyes set on an NCAA tournament bid. The Hoyas put up strong performances in six different matchups with top-25 teams this year, including last Saturday’s 4-0 win over the Pirates and a 1-1 tie with then-No. 12 Boston College the week before. While that may be enough to get a berth, a win in the conference tournament would greatly help their chances.

Georgetown will look for that victory tomorrow at the Villanova Soccer Complex. Kickoff is set for 1 p.m.