The American University men's soccer team (4-4-1) beat the University of North Carolina Wilmington Seahawks (2-3-2) by a score of 1-0 on Sept. 23 at Reeves Field.
Both teams came into the game on winning streaks: American won two in a row, not allowing a single goal in both games, and UNCW scored 12 goals and went unbeaten in their past three matches.
The Eagles got off on the attack first, with sophomore midfielder Chris Sullivan taking a shot that forced a corner kick in the first minute. American had another opportunity in the second minute from senior midfielder Troy Elgersma, whose shot resulted in multiple rebounds and a few chances to score.
Throughout the first half, American controlled the ball in the midfield and forced several turnovers, preventing UNCW from getting many shots on goal.
“I thought we defended well,” head coach Zach Samol said after the game. “The more that we can keep the game out of our half and make them defend, the better off we were.”
Late in the first half, the Seahawks got more opportunities to score. In the 38th minute, a cross from sophomore midfielder Osei Gyamfi allowed sophomore forward Ryan Lee to take a shot, which was saved by freshman goalkeeper Evan Tubbs near the left post.
Tubbs made five saves throughout the game while allowing no goals — a solid performance for only the second start of his collegiate career.
In the second half, the Eagles kept the pressure on by forcing defensive turnovers and creating offensive off of them.
American got a great opportunity in the 57th minute, with graduate student forward Mustapha Sowe receiving a long ball over the heads of most defenders with the chance to score. Both Sowe and midfielder Reyes Parra had a shot at the net, but deflections by the UNCW defenders allowed them to force a corner kick and get out of the possession.
Sowe was able to redeem himself in the 61st minute, when he headered in a cross from freshman defender Finn O’Brien, finally capitalizing and giving the Eagles a 1-0 lead.
UNCW was not finished — they kept the pressure on. A 69th-minute shot by midfielder William Ampofo off a rebound from a shot by Gyamfi hit the top crossbar and bounced right on the ground, missing the goal by inches.
However, in the 75th minute, a brief period of heavy rain and thunder started, causing the players and fans to leave the field and the game to be delayed.
Play resumed after a 30-minute delay and with 13:58 remaining on the clock.
“In the locker room, we went over some plays that just happened…guys are rolling out, guys are using the bands to keep their legs warm,” Sowe said about the extended break. “It’s really important that you stay mentally focused, that we still do have 13 minutes and a lot of things can happen within that 13 minutes.”
The Seahawks came out of the break with boosted intensity. Their whole team became increasingly aggressive with their demeanor — the bench even received a yellow card for complaining to the referee.
That aggressiveness put the Eagles' defense to the test, forcing Tubbs to make more saves in the last 14 minutes than he had in the first 76. Despite the rocky finish, American held strong to extend both their win and shutout streaks to three games.
“We talked about trying not to be so safe with lead and being more aggressive…I don’t think we really did it out on the field,” coach Samol said about the time after the break. “I think the human nature of it is to protect the lead…but credit to the guys for getting a win and getting it done.”
The Eagles return to Reeves Field to face the Lehigh Hawks in a Patriot League showdown on October 11th.
This article was edited by Connor Sturniolo, Penelope Jennings and Walker Whalen. Copy editing done by Sabine Kanter-Huchting, Emma Brown and Ariana Kavoossi.
