The AU men’s soccer team will head into the Patriot League quarterfinals as fifth seed after defeating Colgate University 2-1 on Nov. 9.
The Eagles’ (7-7-5, 4-3-2 PL) established control of the ball early in the game and sent the Raiders’ (4-13-2 ,3-5-1 PL) defense into disarray. AU broke through the defense often, threatening with every play.
Five minutes into the game, senior forward Colin Seigfreid sent a ball from 20 yards away into the box, perfectly setting up freshman midfielder Chris Fanet for a goal. He slid feet first, redirecting the ball past the Colgate keeper and scoring the first point of the game.
Seigfreid continued to help the team’s scoring with a goal of his own in the 20th minute. After a failed clearance by Raider goalkeeper Liam Stapleton, the Eagles retrieved the ball within scoring distance. Freshman forward Michael Cherry fed Seigfreid the ball where he then flicked a goal into the back of the net.
In the last play of the second half, Colgate retaliated with one goal. A free kick was shot into the box and headed down before being volleyed into the bar where it deflected past the goal line for a score. This would be the only blunder of the match for senior goalkeeper Billy Knutsen, finishing the night with three saves.
In the second half the Eagles’ offense lost steam, only getting two shots. However, the defense was able to hold on for the win.
The Raiders threatened in the second half logging eight shots. On a couple occasions Colgate almost sent the game into overtime, but the AU’s backline stayed strong. The defense, lead by senior Cristobal Soto, broke up and defended all of Colgate’s attacks.
The Eagles will either face the College of the Holy Cross or Bucknell University in the quarterfinals, depending on the result of a late Nov. 9 game. Regardless of the opponent AU will be playing on the road on Nov. 12.
