Oct. 23, 2012

Patriot League Men's Soccer Release - 10.23.12

CENTER VALLEY, Pa. — American’s come-from-behind overtime win at home Saturday against Navy lifted the Eagles into sole possession of first place, and that positioning was solidified when Colgate and Lafayette wrestled to a 2-2 draw later in the day. With two sets of Patriot League matches remaining, the Eagles have the inside track to host the men’s soccer tournament for the second consecutive year.

But it won’t come easy for the Eagles who, despite being in first place, own a loaded rearview mirror. All eight teams are still eligible for the postseason, making Saturday’s slate of matches incredibly important for the tournament picture.

Five teams will step out of League action Tuesday and Wednesday, highlighted by the second straight week in which a conference squad will match up with the nation’s No. 1. Lehigh visits Maryland Tuesday at 7:30 p.m.

Saturday’s matches begin at 3 p.m., when Army hits the road to take on Lafayette. An hour later Bucknell hosts defending champion Colgate. Two contests are set for 7 p.m., with Lehigh hosting first-place American and Navy visiting Holy Cross.

Patriot League Notebook

• American and Navy are listed in this week’s NSCAA/Continental Tire Mid-Atlantic Top 10. The Eagles are ranked fifth, while the Mids are No. 10.

• The Eagles need just a draw in their match at Lehigh Saturday night to clinch a Patriot League Tournament bid. American is seeking its fifth consecutive trip to the postseason.

• Colgate also controls its postseason destiny. The Raiders can gain a direct opportunity to defend their 2011 crown with a win at Bucknell.

• Lafayette, which has narrowly missed the League tournament each of the last two seasons, would be on the verge of qualifying with a victory Saturday at home against the Black Knights. The timing of their postseason berth - if it is to come - would depend on the Holy Cross-Navy and Bucknell-Colgate results.

• Trailing 2-1 in the second half, American’s Cristobal Soto came up with a big defensive play, clearing the ball off the Eagles goal line. American tied the match later in the half, setting up its overtime win.

• Army has defeated Bucknell in back-to-back seasons for the first time since 1997-98.

• Junior Tommy Uttaro’s second career game-winner was the difference in Holy Cross’ 1-0 victory over New Hampshire last week.

• Lehigh junior Ciaran Nugent’s 14 career shutouts are four shy of placing him in the League’s all-time top 10.

Patriot League Weekly Awards

BRINE OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK
COLIN SEIGFREID, AMERICAN Jr., F, Pittsburgh, Pa.
Seigfreid had a hand in all three of American’s goals in Saturday’s come-from-behind 3-2 overtime win against visiting Navy. He scored the equalizer in the 18th minute to tie the match 1-1 before assisting on both of Alassane Kane’s goals later in the contest. Kane scored off Seigfreid’s well-placed corner kick in the 83rd minute to tie the match at 2-2, and Seigfreid again found Kane with a cross just 90 seconds into overtime to give American the win. It’s Seigfreid’s third weekly honor of the season, and his efforts helped keep American alone in first place.

BRINE DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK
ALI FAMILI, LEHIGH So., D, Orefield, Pa.
Famili led Lehigh’s defense to a pair of shutouts on the week, both by 1-0 scores. The Mountain Hawks started by holding Yale to just three shots on goal in Tuesday’s victory over the Bulldogs. The strong defensive play continued as Famili led from the back line in the Mountain Hawks’ triumph over visiting Holy Cross on Saturday. Once again the Lehigh defense was stout, allowing just three shots on net against the Crusaders. It’s Famili’s first weekly honor of the season.

BRINE GOALKEEPER OF THE WEEK
BILLY KNUTSEN, AMERICAN Jr., GK, San Francisco, Calif.
Knutsen picks up his second straight Goalkeeper of the Week nod after leading the Eagles to a pair of victories last week, including Saturday’s 3-2 overtime win against Navy. He started the week with his fifth shutout of the season, making five saves in a 1-0 blanking of Longwood. Knutsen returned to the pitch Saturday to match his career high with eight saves, none bigger than a key stop 17 seconds into extra time to thwart a Navy opportunity. American won the match some 70 seconds later and maintained their hold on first place.

BRINE ROOKIE OF THE WEEK
TYLER FORBES, COLGATE Fr., F/M, Manlius, N.Y.
Forbes scored both Colgate goals as the Raiders and Lafayette battled to a 2-2 draw in Hamilton, N.Y., on Saturday. The freshman from Manlius, N.Y., scored his first collegiate marker in the 19th minute to tie the match at 1-1, and added his second of the contest in the 44th minute to put the Raiders ahead 2-1. Forbes has appeared in all 16 Colgate matches this season with 11 starts.

HONORABLE MENTIONS
JASON LEWIS, ARMY Jr., M, Fort Thomas, Ky.
Lewis’ first career marker was a big one, as it came with 13 seconds left in regulation to lift Army to a 2-1 win at Bucknell and kept the Black Knights in the hunt for a Patriot League Tournament bid.

KEVIN WRIGHT, HOLY CROSS Fr., GK, McKinney, Texas
Wright posted a 1-1 week for the Crusaders, making two stops in a 1-0 shutout of New Hampshire and eight more in Saturday’s loss to League foe Lehigh.

BRANDON TURNER, LAFAYETTE Jr., D, Bayshore, N.Y.
Turner led the Lafayette defense in its 1-0 shutout of NJIT and scored the game-tying goal in the 57th minute of Saturday’s 2-2 draw at Colgate.

CIARAN NUGENT, LEHIGH Jr., GK, Dedham, Mass.
Nugent tallied six saves for the week in back-to-back 1-0 clean sheets, including Saturday’s crucial League win over Holy Cross.