Oct. 2, 2012

Patriot League Men's Soccer Release - 10.2.12

CENTER VALLEY, Pa. — A logjam has developed in the Patriot League standings with three teams tied for first and three more sitting just one point back.

Navy had a chance to take sole possession of first place and looked poised to do so. The Mids had a 1-0 lead late in their annual matchup with rival Army Sunday at PPL Park in Chester, Pa., but a foul in the box and a subsequent converted penalty kick tied the match late in regulation. The two teams settled for a tie after a pair of scoreless overtimes. Despite the draw Navy extended its undefeated streak to six matches (4-0-2).

The home teams were perfect last weekend in League play. A week after tying each other, American and Colgate picked up League victories on their own fields. The Eagles edged Bucknell 1-0 while the Raiders exploded for a 5-0 win over visiting Lehigh. Lafayette completed the 3-0 swing with a 2-1 triumph over Holy Cross in Easton, Pa.

Colgate and Lafayette step out of League play Tuesday. The Raiders visit Hartwick while the Leopards head to Rider, with both matches set for 7 p.m. League competition resumes Saturday with the day starting at 2 p.m. when Bucknell hosts Navy. The schedule continues with Holy Cross going to Colgate at 4 p.m., the next chapter in the Lafayette-Lehigh rivalry playing out in Bethlehem, Pa., at 7:30 p.m. and Army entertaining American at 7:30 p.m.

Patriot League Notebook

• Mike Reidy’s five points in Colgate’s 5-0 win Saturday over Lehigh were the second-highest output of League play so far. Navy’s Joseph Greenspan had six points (three goals) Sept. 22 versus Lafayette.

• Bucknell (tied for fifth), Navy (eighth) and American (tied for ninth) are ranked in the NSCAA/Continental Tire Mid-Atlantic top 10 in the same positions for the second straight week.

• Navy’s contest at Bucknell Saturday will feature the top two offenses in the League. Both clubs have scored 18 goals, with Navy’s coming in nine outings and the Bison’s in 10.

• Lafayette’s Alec Golini has taken over the League lead in goals (five) and points (11) after scoring three times last week for the Leopards. He was named BRINE Offensive Player of the Week.

• American’s Billy Knutsen lowered his goals-against average to 0.99 after Saturday’s 1-0 blanking of Bucknell. He ranks second in the League behind the Bison’s Mike Lansing (0.73). Lansing and Knutsen are also 1-2 in save percentage.

• Bucknell is ranked 18th nationally in team GAA (0.66), while the team save percentage is 10th (.870).

• American has won its last five meetings with Army, outscoring the Black Knights 13-1 during that stretch.

• Colgate’s 5-0 win over Lehigh was the largest margin of victory for either team in the series that dates back to 1989.

Patriot League Weekly Awards

BRINE OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK
ALEC GOLINI, LAFAYETTE Jr., M, Lumberton, N.J.
Golini exploded for Lafayette last week, scoring both goals in Tuesday’s 2-0 victory over defending CAA champion Delaware before adding the game-winner in the Leopards’ 2-1 triumph over visiting Holy Cross Saturday in League action. Thanks to his six-point week, Golini jumped to the top of the League with 11 points, just ahead of the Navy tandem of Alex Wilson and Joseph Greenspan, who have 10 apiece.

BRINE DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK
JOSH BROWN, LAFAYETTE Sr., D, Branchburg, N.J.
Brown was part of Lafayette’s defense that surrendered just two shots to Holy Cross Saturday and only a pair on goal earlier in the week to defending CAA champion Delaware, both wins. He even got into the act offensively, picking up an assist on Alec Golini’s game-winner in Tuesday’s 2-0 shutout of the Blue Hens. He then led the Leopard defense as it clamped down on the Crusaders in Saturday’s 2-1 victory at home. A two-time member of the League’s Academic Honor Roll, Brown earns his first career weekly honor.

BRINE GOALKEEPER OF THE WEEK
WINSTON BOLDT, ARMY So., GK, St. Louis, Mo.
Boldt tied his season high with seven saves as Army salvaged a 1-1 draw with rival Navy in the inaugural Army-Navy Cup played at PPL Park in Chester, Pa. Two of his stops came in overtime, including one late in the first extra frame off Navy’s Joseph Greenspan from about eight yards out. Of Boldt’s seven saves, three came from in close, including another on Greenspan in the first half. He picks up his third Goalkeeper of the Week award of the season.

BRINE ROOKIE OF THE WEEK
JAY SHOATES, AMERICAN Fr., D, Sterling, Va.
Shoates started both games for the Eagles last week, helping them post a 1-1 record. The freshman defender played a big role in American’s 1-0 blanking of League rival Bucknell over the weekend, including limiting the Bison’s scoring opportunities throughout the match. Shoates collects the first weekly honor of his career.

HONORABLE MENTIONS
DALE McDONALD, AMERICAN Jr., F, Portmore, Jamaica
McDonald logged the game-winner as American upended Bucknell 1-0 Saturday to pull into a three-way tie for first with Colgate and Navy with four points.

MIKE REIDY, COLGATE Sr., M, Webster, N.Y.
Reidy eruped for a pair of goals and an assist for five points as Colgate overwhelmed Lehigh 5-0 in League action Saturday.

TOMMY UTTARO, HOLY CROSS Jr., M, Staten Island, N.Y.
Uttaro posted four points last week, including a multiple-point effort in Tuesday’s loss at Northeastern.