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PHILADELPHIA (SMU) -- In a back and forth contest, Garrett McLaughlin's 106th minute-goal pushed No. 11 SMU past Temple in the final match of the regular season, guaranteeing a bye in the first round of the AAC tournament next week for the Mustangs. 

"It was an excellent performance against a very organized Temple side." head coach Kevin Hudson said post game. "It's hard to play at Temple, but our men handled the adversity well. Good teams play their best in November and we're rounding into good form at the right time."

The first half was controlled by the Mustangs (14-1-1, 5-1-1) who outshot the Owls (7-7-2, 3-2-2) 11-6 in the first 45 but neither team was able to put it in the back of the net, leading to a scoreless first half. 

The Mustangs came out in the second half fired up and would strike first in the 68th minute when Eddie Munjoma crossed in a pass to Knut Ahlander who then scored his seventh goal of the season, a new career high. 

It caps off quite a week for Ahlander who recorded the game-winning assist in a crucial win vs. UConn last Friday night. 

But the 1-0 lead wouldn't last more than 60 seconds for the Mustangs, as they conceded an equalizer in the 69th minute to put the Mustangs on their heels. 

Both teams would battle for the remainder of regulation, with both sides finding multiple chances as time ticked away. But 90 minutes wouldn't be enough for the teams as they finished regulation in a 1-1 tie, sending the Mustangs to their fourth OT match of the season. 

Grant Makela made an mpressive save in the 98th minute to push the game further and SMU followed his save with another team block in the 99th. In the second overtime period the Mustangs pushed forward, getting behind the Temple backline a few times, but the Owls wouldn't break. 

As time ticked away in overtime, the Mustangs, who needed a win to secure a bye in the first round of the AAC tournament, continued firing on net and the Owls backline finally broke in the 106th minute. Garrett McLaughlin got past his mark and was able to beat the Temple goalie to score his career-high 15th, and most important, goal of the season, sending the Mustangs home with a 2-1 win. 

No. 11 SMU finishes its regular season with 14 wins and one loss, the fewest number of regular season losses since 2002. The Mustangs also finish the regular season with a perfect record on the road for the first time since 2001. 

With the win, the Mustangs claim the No. 2 seed in the 2019 AAC tournament, and a first-round bye. They'll face the winner of the No. 3 vs. No. 6 matchup between South Florida and UConn on Saturday, Nov. 13, 2019, in Orlando, Fla.