In the second half of the Michigan men’s soccer team’s match Saturday against No. 23 Michigan State in Ann Arbor on Saturday, sophomore midfielder Hamoody Saad saw an opportunity to chip the ball over the Spartan goalkeeper from about 40 yards away, but decided to pass it off instead. When he subbed out for a few minutes near the end of the game, his father let him hear about it from the stands.

“My dad said that if I ever get that opportunity again, I should take the shot,” Saad said.

So when the same chance came to Saad in overtime, he followed his father’s advice. The ball bounced to him from about 40 yards out again, and he struck a left-footed volley that arched over the goalie's hands and into the top right corner of the goal, giving the Wolverines (3-2-0 Big Ten, 10-4-3 overall) a dramatic 3-2 overtime win.

The goal rescued Michigan from what could have been a heartbreaking defeat. After the Wolverines led 2-0 in the first half, the Spartans (2-4-0, 11-5-0) scored two goals in the final minutes to send the match to overtime. In the extra period, senior forward Justin Meram had three great chances in the span of a minute, but couldn’t put any of them away.

“We were pretty frustrated at that point,” Meram said. “I’m disappointed that that I didn’t end the game for us there, but that’s what the team is for. Hamoody stepped up.”

Players generally don’t take shots from more than a few yards outside the box. But what’s especially remarkable about Saad’s goal is that it came three days after his brother, freshman forward Soony Saad, scored a similar goal from 67 yards against Bowling Green. The Saad brothers seem to be making a habit of scoring spectacular long-range goals.

Michigan coach Steve Burns said he doesn’t encourage this type of long-range shot. But he won’t complain about the results.

“As Hamoody was shooting, I was saying to myself, ‘No… no… yes!’ ” Burns said. “Hamoody and Soony are very aware players. When they’re off the ball, they’re always sneaking looks at the goalie in case the ball will come to them.”

The goal was Hamoody’s fourth of the season. It helped break a seven-game losing streak against the Spartans, which could make the difference in Michigan getting an at-large bid into the NCAA tournament. Hamoody wouldn't speculate as to where the goal ranked in the history of the program, but did say it was the greatest of his career.