Tues./Sat., Oct. 20/Oct. 24 – vs. Princeton (Princeton, N.J.) vs. Bucknell (Hamilton, N.Y.), 6 p.m./7 p.m.

 

The Raiders take to the road for their third straight away game on Tuesday, when they travel to Princeton to take on the Tigers in their last non-league contest of the season. Then on Saturday, the men will play host to Bucknell at Van Doren field at 7 p.m.

 

Princeton – Princeton is coming off a, 3-0, win over Columbia over the weekend that snapped a seven-game winless streak. The Tigers, who bring a 5-5-2 overall record into Tuesday's game, are led by junior defender Josh Walburn who has scored a team-high six goals for 12 points. Freshman Matt Sanner isn't far behind, recording three goals and three assists for his nine points. Seven other Tigers have also found the net, as they've outscored their opponents 19-17, and are averaging almost 15 shots per game. Junior goalkeeper has played every minute in net for the Tigers making 38 saves and posting three shutouts.

 

Bucknell – Bucknell will entertain Penn State on Wednesday, Oct. 21, before traveling to Hamilton to take on the Raiders on Saturday. Going into their game on Wednesday, the Bison are 11-3-0 and 3-1-0 in Patriot league matches. They have out-scored their opponents 24-12 on the year, scoring 15 of their goals in the second half, holding the top place in the league in the goals scored category. Senior midfielder Conor O'Brein leads the Bison and the league in points with ten goals and four assists for 24 points. Freshman Brendan Burgdorf has also netted six goals on 27 shots for Bucknell. Sophomore Tommy Caso has the majority of the starts in net, making 13 appearances and 57 saves, while posting six shutouts.

 

The last time the Raiders took the field, they shocked the Leopards of Lafayette, as senior Alex Weekes (Stroudsburg, Pa.) scored the game-winning goal in the 88^th minute to give them a, 2-1, win and a 2-2-0 record in the Patriot league. Jeff Leach (New Canaan, Conn.) recorded assists on both goals, while freshman Mike Reidy (Webster, N.Y.) also scored his fifth goal of the season in the contest.

 

The last time the Raiders matched up against Princeton was early in the 2007 season, with Colgate coming out with a, 1-0, win. That game was the first time in the programs history those two schools met on the pitch. When Colgate took on Bucknell last fall, Chris Ross (Hurst, Texas) scored the games lone goal, giving the Raiders a league win on route to a Patriot league title. The Bison haven't won against the Colgate since Oct. 4, 2003, when they took down the Raiders 1-0 in overtime.

 

Four men's soccer student-athletes have been awarded Patriot League weekly honors since the start of the 2009 season. Shane Conlin, Alex Weekes, Mike Reidy and goalkeeper Chris Miller have each received the honors. Weekes was named Offensive Player of Week while Reidy each received Rookie of the Week for the week ending Sept. 13. The following week Miller earned goalkeeper of the week honors. Most recently, Conlin was named Rookie of the Week on Oct. 12, after his two-goal performance against Army.

The Raiders are currently 10-0-1 at home, an unbeaten streak dating back to last year's loss to Holy Cross, on Sept. 27, 2008.   

For the second year in a row the Colgate men's soccer team was selected to finish first in the Patriot League preseason poll. The Raiders collected the most points with 95 and most first-place votes with 12. Last year Colgate won both the regular season and championship titles adding to its championship title from the 2007 season.  

 

Senior Alex Weekes and freshman Mike Reidy lead the Raiders in scoring this season, notching thirteen points apiece. Reidy leads the team in goals with six, while Weekes has posted five goals and three assists. Fellow seniors Chris Ross and Chris Salmon (Auburn, Wash.) are also on the board this season with Ross collecting two goal and two assists and Salmon tallying one of each. Junior Jeff Leach also has a goal and a team high four assists while freshman Shane Conlin (Randolph, N.J.) rounds out the Raiders scoring column with three goals and two assist. Junior goalie Chris Miller (Dallas, Texas) has started in eight games, earning a record of 5-3, including one shutout. Miller posts a save percentage of .767. 

 

Two Colgate soccer players have been recognized by national organizations so far this season. Senior forward Alex Weekes has been named to the 2009 Missouri Athletic Club's Hermann Trophy Watch List. The List is comprised of the 38 best men's Division I intercollegiate soccer players and is college soccer's version of the Heisman Trophy. In addition, freshman midfielder Mike Reidy was selected as one of College Soccer News' 100 Freshman to Keep An Eye On in 2009. 

 

Head coach Erik Ronning will begin his fifth season at the helm of the Colgate men's soccer program. In just four short years, Ronning has brought the Raiders to the Patriot League Tournament four times and won the title the past two seasons to earn consecutive NCAA Tournament bids. With a Colgate win total of 39 games, Ronning will look to earn his 50th career victory during the 2009 season. 

 

The Raiders will host Navy in their last home Patriot league contest of the year on Friday, Oct. 30th. That game is scheduled for 7 p.m.