Another win, another step closer to a potential playoff berth.

The John Carroll University men's lacrosse program is one win away from reaching the Ohio Athletic Conference postseason tournament for the second consecutive year after beating Mount Union by a score of 8-7 on Wednesday evening inside Don Shula Stadium.

Declan O'Grady was the hero for JCU as he tallied the game-winning goal with 31 seconds left to play in the first overtime period.

The Blue Streaks did not let the windy conditions bother them early in the contest as they grabbed a 3-0 lead in the first quarter. Gary Anile, MacGregor Roberts, and O'Grady all scored goals for JCU while Kyle Lake showcased his defensive abilities at the goalie position by not allowing a goal in the opening 15 minutes.

Mount Union was able to shake off their offensive drought in the first five minutes of the second period with a trio of goals from Chris Daley, Mike Richardson, and Hogan Harris. Daley led the Purple Raiders in shots on goal in the first half with a total of six.

John Carroll would not be fazed by the Mount Union offensive outburst as they responded with a Logan Calhoun goal to regain a 4-3 lead. The opposing Purple Raiders answered JCU's goal with a score of their own from Daley before the halftime period.

At the intermission, the score stood at 4-4. The heavy winds and occasional snow fall played a role in the low-scoring defensive affair.

The Blue Streaks came out of the locker room with an aggressive offensive attack fueled by numerous shots on goal -- one of which was Calhoun's second goal of the evening. Mount Union's Josh Stephens answered by chipping in a goal himself to tie the game at five. There would be no scoring for the remainder of the third period as tensions grew between both teams with similar playoff aspirations.

The back and forth style would continue as Josh Stephens scored his second goal of the game to give the Purple Raiders a 6-5 lead, their first of the game.

Andrew Rao and Anile teamed together to rejuvenate the John Carroll offense with a pair of fourth quarter goals. Lake continued to make his presence known at goalie with multiple saves throughout the pivotal stretch in the fourth quarter. The sophomore finished with 12 saves on the evening.

Mount Union would respond once again with another goal from Daley to tie up the action at seven. The score would remain 7-7 for the rest of regulation as the game advanced to the overtime period.

After a pair of unsuccessful possessions from both teams, O'Grady took charge for the Blue Streaks with his second goal of the game and team-leading 39th score on the season on a perfect delivery from Rao.

Outside of O'Grady, the John Carroll offense was headlined by Calhoun and Anile with two goals apiece.

"Win and you're in" will be the theme for the Blue Streak's final regular season game on Saturday as they play host to Muskingum at 7 p.m. inside Don Shula Stadium. John Carroll is currently alone in fourth place with a 2-3 mark in OAC play, one game ahead of Mount Union and Wilmington -- both of whom John Carroll defeated and would own tiebreakers. Only four teams make the OAC postseason field.