The AU Men's Soccer team fought through wind, rain and team fatigue to snag a crucial 3-1 victory over District rival George Washington at Reeves Field Wednesday.
Returning home after a disheartening and exhausting 0-2 road trip to the West Coast, the Eagles (3-3-0) entered the match wondering whether they could even complete 90 minutes, let alone beat the Colonials (1-2-1).
"You could tell that everyone was a little fatigued from all the games we've been playing," said senior defender Nick Zaron, who scored AU's first goal and assisted its third. "But in the second half, we battled, we fought, and we came up with some good goals."
AU head coach Todd West took the blame for the Eagles' brutal early schedule. But while the Eagles may have felt weak, their strong set-piece play created two goals, before their opportunism led to the match-clinching third. By then, the sluggish home team that began the match was playing inspired soccer.
"I didn't think we were very good at all in the first half," West said. "It was almost like we were trying to conserve some energy. At halftime, I laid into them, and told them I'd carry them off after the game, but that we wouldn't leave any energy on the field."
Tied 1-1 after a sloppy and slippery first half, GW actually took the early second-half initiative, generating two legitimate scoring opportunities before the 56th minute. But the Eagles awakened and, only three minutes after the second Colonial chance, recaptured their early first-half lead.
Senior Sean Albright, listed as a defender but pushed to forward because of team scoring concerns, drove home a loose ball from just four yards away from goal to score the game-winner.
The ball squirmed free after a left-sided free kick from senior midfielder Shawn Kuykendall landed on the head of sophomore defender Nigel White. White couldn't put his effort on frame, but flicked the ball across the box, where Albright beat several Colonial defenders to the ball.
While the Colonials tried to tie, the Eagles' second goal fueled their momentum, as AU looked for an insurance goal. The team got it almost by accident, when sophomore midfielder Sal Caccavale turned a defensive clearance into an offensive breakaway in the 77th minute.
Nick Zaron found Caccavale at midfield when he simply blasted the ball out of AU's defensive third. Caccavale slyly bodied a Colonial defender before turning 180 degrees to run onto Zaron's bouncing service.
While GW's bench protested for a foul, Caccavale streaked toward goal and slipped the ball to the right post beyond charging 'keeper Derek Biss.
"I just wanted to put it behind their center back," Zaron said, still unsure of how his clearance turned into an assist. "Sal just read it, I guess. He still ran 40 or 50 yards after he got it."
GW looked for an instant to have scored its second goal only two minutes later. But midfielder Frank Ambrosio's 15-yard effort was called back for an offside violation. GW rarely threatened AU's goal after that.
Having already beaten Howard and Georgetown in the D.C. College Cup on Sept. 4 and 6, the win over GW further cements AU's place as the top District team.
As they did against Georgetown, the Eagles scored their first goal against GW on a right-sided Kuykendall corner kick that found Zaron's head at the near corner of the goal box. Zaron flicked the ball far post, past Biss and a defender stationed on the goal line in the 27th minute.
GW tied it two minutes later, also through a corner kick, when defender Trent Wilee soared above everyone to head past freshman 'keeper Chris Sedlak. It was Sedlak's second start, with senior 'keeper Thomas Myers benched for disciplinary reasons, West said.
The Eagles will attempt to win their first road game this weekend, traveling to New York State to face Cornell on Sunday. The Eagles are looking to avenge a 1-0 defeat they suffered to Cornell at Reeves Field last season.
AU won't return to Reeves until Sept. 29 in a Patriot League clash against Navy.
