Nov. 14, 2008
Hamilton, N.Y.- No. 1 seed and Patriot League Tournament host Colgate will meet No. 3 seed Holy Cross in the Patriot League Men's Soccer Championship on Sunday at 1 p.m. at Van Doren Field. The Raiders defeated No. 4 Lafayette, 2-0, while the Crusaders tied No. 2 seed American, 1-1, but advanced to the title match on penalty kicks in Friday's semifinal games. Sunday's match will be the first time that the Raiders and Crusaders have ever met in Patriot League Tournament history.
Friday's first game between No. 4 Lafayette (8-6-5) and No. 1 Colgate (11-5-3) featured physical, aggressive play on both sides of the ball. The Raider offense put immense pressure on the Leopard defense from the beginning of the game, where half of the first period was played primarily on Lafayette's side of the field. Second-Team All-Patriot League forwards Alex Weekes and Steven Miller of Colgate took the first two shots of the game, with both shots sailing over the crossbar from 25 yards out. In the 17th minute, Colgate sophomore Jeff Leach launched a corner kick into the box, where older brother Matt Leach sent a header past Lafayette goalkeeper Philip Nelson for what ended up being the game winner. The elder Leach then streaked across the field to the stands where he high-fived a number of the Raider faithful in celebration. But Lafayette tried to get into an offensive rhythm shortly thereafter, as sophomore B.J. Glenn took one of the Leopards' six shots in the first period with 19 minutes left in the half.
Colgate continued its aggressive offensive push in the second half, but Lafayette's Nelson made a number of impressive saves to keep the Leopards in the game. In the 59th minute, Colgate was able to draw Nelson out of the box and sent a flurry of kicks toward the goal, but the Leopard defense clamped down and allowed Nelson to get back in the box to make a sweeping save from his knees. Lafayette tried to capitalize on its four corner kicks in the period, as Second-Team selection Stephen Macurdy sent a bending corner kick toward the top left corner of the Raider goal, where Cappuccio made a leaping save. But in the 73rd minute, the Raiders got an insurance tally from Steven Miller, his fourth goal of the season. Lafayette took eight shots in the second half but just could not find the back of the net, as Colgate won the match, 2-0, and advanced to Sunday's title game. It was the 10th shutout of the season for the Raiders, and the 24th career clean sheet for Cappuccio.
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"I think overall, it was just a great team defensive effort," Colgate Head Coach Erik Ronning said after the game. "All 11 guys defend, that's a big part of our philosophy. Everyone worked extremely hard, was in great shape, and put good pressure on the ball."
The second semifinal game between No. 3 Holy Cross (9-4-5) and No. 2 American (9-7-3) was just as physical and intense as the first semifinal match. The Eagles fired off eight shots in the first half, but the Crusaders got on the board first as First-Team All-League forward Kyle Miller took a shot off of a deflection and sent the ball into the goal past American's freshman goalkeeper Matt Makowski for the early 1-0 lead. But the Eagles were not discouraged, and continued taking their shots in the second period. In the 55th minute, American's Daniel Shannon crossed a ball to midfielder David Menzie in the Holy Cross box, and Menzie punched the ball into the far side of the goal past Crusader goalkeeper Thomas Booth for the equalizer. Neither team was able to score again in regulation, sending the match into overtime.
All knotted up at 1 goal apiece, the Eagles and Crusaders both clamped down on defense, where each team took only one shot in the first overtime period. In the second overtime period, both teams had opportunities to put the game away, but neither team could find the back of the net. In the 103rd minute, the Eagles drew Holy Cross' Booth out of the box, giving American an opportunity to score with an empty net. American's Mike Worden lasered a shot toward the goal, but any subsequent plays came to a halt as the Eagles were called offsides. With just five minutes left in the period, Holy Cross' Miller sent a shot that went just wide left of the goal. Despite each team taking six shots in the period, the score remained 1-1, sending the game into penalty kicks.
Holy Cross and American converted their first three penalty kicks each, before Miller gave Holy Cross a 4-3 advantage. But American's Nidhal Charfi missed the fourth kick for the Eagles, leaving them in the 4-3 deficit. Patriot League Defensive Player of the Year Jerry Dickinson punched in the fifth kick for Holy Cross, allowing the Crusaders to advance to its first Patriot League Championship game since 2002.
"We relied heavily on our defense all year," said Holy Cross Head Coach Elvis Comrie, after the game. "We've only conceded 14 goals over the course of an entire season, so that's always been our strength. That's the first thing we teach when the kids come in, and they've done a remarkable job. They've been fantastic."
Sunday's title match pits two of the stingiest Patriot League defenses against one another, as Colgate and Holy Cross have given up only 13 and 14 goals, respectively, all season. The two teams have never met in postseason Patriot League play. The Raiders and Crusaders met earlier this season in Hamilton, where Holy Cross beat Colgate, 1-0. The Raiders are looking for their fourth overall and second-consecutive Patriot League title, while the Crusaders are looking to hoist the trophy for the first time since 2002.
The winner of Sunday's 1 p.m. match will earn the Patriot League's automatic NCAA Tournament berth.
