Nov. 13, 2005

Second-seeded Lafayette scored in the game's fourth minute and then hung on for a 1-0 victory over American on Sunday afternoon at AU's Reeves Field in Washington, D.C. The win gives the Leopards their sixth Patriot League title in 16 years and a trip to the NCAA Tournament. Most Valuable Player Mike Tortora did not allow a goal in 200 minutes of action at the BRINE Patriot League Championship.

Head coach Dennis Bohn's Leopards (13-4-2) will learn their NCAA Tournament opponent during the selection show, scheduled for Monday between 4 and 4:30 p.m. on ESPNews. First round games will take place on campus sites on Friday, Nov. 18 and Saturday, Nov. 19.

Lafayette will carry an eight-game unbeaten streak into the NCAA Tournament.

In the preseason, Lafayette was picked for third in the Patriot League while American was selected to repeat as champion.

But in front of 724 fans on an unseasonably warm November afternoon, Lafayette grabbed the momentum early on, as Luke Sullivan scored on a low header off a corner kick at the 3:45 mark. Thomas Harju assisted, his 11th on the season. For Sullivan, the goal was his fourth of the year.

Lafayette celebrates the 2005 Patriot League men's soccer title

The Eagles went on the attack after that, but were unable to cash in on several scoring opportunities. AU got off 20 shots, compared to 15 for the Leopards, but only three shots were on goal and all were turned away by Tortora, a senior and a member of the All-League second team. Two of his three saves came in the closing minutes.

Larry Mark, Gordon Templeman and Patriot League Rookie of the Year Phil Purdy were the main threats, combining to get off 13 shots on the day.

AU goalkeeper Chris Sedlak was the tough-luck loser in net for the Eagles. He made eight saves on the day, several of the acrobatic variety. He finished the tournament with 17 saves.

American (7-10-3), the top seed for the championship, earned the right to play for the title with a 1-0 semifinal win over Colgate. Lafayette advanced past arch-rival and third-seeded Lehigh, 4-3 on penalty kicks, with Tortora making a crucial save early in the shootout. The game had ended in a scoreless draw after two overtimes.

The Leopards will be making their fourth appearance in the NCAA Tournament, the most of any Patriot League school. Their lone win in NCAAs came in 1995, over Cornell. Their last appearance was in 2003 and resulted in a 3-1 loss to Rutgers.

Last year, American picked up the Patriot League's fifth all-time victory in men's soccer with a 3-0 first round shutout of Long Island.