The AU men's soccer team traveled to Durham, N.C., this past week, hoping to build off of their success in the D.C. College Cup. However, the Eagles lost both games in the Duke/Adidas classic, evening their record on the season to 2-2.
In the first game, the Eagles matched up against the host Duke Blue Devils, the eighth- ranked squad in the nation. AU took a surprising early lead only in the third minute of the game on a goal by senior Larry Mark on an assist by fellow senior Sal Caccavale to put the Eagles up 1-0.
However, this lead would be short-lived as the Blue Devils answered back only two minutes later, eventually scoring twice more in the first half of play to take a 3-1 lead. This would prove to be all the scoring in the contest, improving Duke to 3-0 on the season and giving AU their first loss of the season.
Their second game on Sunday afternoon would not go much better for the Eagles. Facing NC State, the Eagles were down 1-0 midway through the first half but responded with two goals of their own to take a 2-1 lead into halftime. Senior Lucas Dowiak and sophomore Tomer Konowiecki each scored their first career collegiate goals in the match.
Again, like the Duke game, the Eagles were unable to hold on to the early lead. The Wolfpack would score twice in the second period of play, in the 60th and 75th minutes to take a 3-2 lead, a score that would be the eventual margin of victory.
Coach West expressed disappointment in his team's effort at the classic, saying that his team needs be better prepared to step on the field to play.
"There were two mental mistakes in the Duke game that allowed them to score. If we stayed level with them, I would have liked our chances. We can't let games slip away that we need to win."
The Eagles now look to rebound as they face another non-PL opponent at Princeton University on Friday before returning home to face Loyola (Md.) on Sunday.
