Coming off an overtime loss against George Mason in the D.C. College Cup last weekend, the AU men’s soccer team dominated a pair of home weekend matches to move over .500 for the first time this season.
The Eagles opened the weekend with a 3-1 victory Sept. 7 against the St. Francis (N.Y.) Terriers.
A transfer from Northeastern, Dale McDonald opened the scoring in the 20th minute when he knocked home a cross from teammate Colin Seigfreid for his first goal as an Eagle.
“Dale adds a different element up top,” AU assistant coach Shawn Kuykendall said.
The Eagles (4-2) added their second goal just before the half when Conor Osborne launched a shot from 40 yards out past Terriers goalkeeper Tyler Clarhaut. The score was also Osborne’s first as an Eagle.
St. Francis (1-4) showed a sign of life late, when Kevin Correa scored in the 81st minute to pull the Terriers within one.
But the man who started the action in the first place clinched the victory for the Eagles, as McDonald tallied his second goal of the game in the 89th minute to seal the 3-1 victory.
Looking ahead, McDonald figures to be a central part of the AU offensive attack along with Patriot League Preseason Offensive Player of the Year Alassane Kane.
“Me and Alassane are not afraid to communicate,” McDonald said when asked about his on-field chemistry with Kane.
During his time at Northeastern, McDonald played 29 games in two seasons and finished the 2011 season with three goals and three assists.
The Eagles wrapped up the weekend with a 2-0 victory against the Saint Peter’s Peacocks Sept. 9.
Seigfreid scored the first goal early in the match, ripping a shot from outside the 18-yard box to give the junior his third point in two games.
AU goalkeeper Billy Knutsen was strong in net, stopping all four shots on goal.
Seth Goldman added an insurance goal for the Eagles in the 72nd minute, when he put his own rebound past St. Peter’s (2-3) goalkeeper Carlos Suarez.
The weekend victories concluded a four-game homestand that saw the Eagles go 3-1. The Eagle offense was particularly strong, with AU scoring 13 goals over the four matches.
Seigfreid was named Patriot League Offensive Player of the Week for the second week in a row, while Cristobal Soto earned Patriot League Defensive Player of the Week honors. Freshman Charlie Hunter was named Rookie of the Week.
The Eagles will travel to Morgantown, W.Va., Sept. 15 for a match against West Virginia, before opening PL play at Colgate Sept. 22.
Colgate defeated AU 2-0 in last year’s Patriot League Championship match at Reeves Field.
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