HAMILTON, N.Y. (9/1/09) -   Junior Jeff Leach (New Canaan, Conn.) scored the first goal of the season for the Raiders as Colgate went on to shut-out the Long Island Blackbirds, 1-0, in its season opener Tuesday afternoon. 

 

 The Raiders came out strong taking control of the ball in the first few minutes. Colgate gained an early 1-0 lead just under 12 minutes into the match, an advantage the Raiders would hold on to throughout the game.

 

Senior Alex Weekes (Stroudsburg, Pa.) got control of the ball at midfield passing it forward where Leach was waiting.  Leach moved up the field drawing the goalkeeper to the top of the box where he finally shot the ball over the goalie's head to the top right corner of the net.  

 

The Blackbirds best opportunity to score came in the final minutes of the first half when sophomore Steve Jakubowski kicked a shot high over Colgate goalkeeper Chris Miller's (Dallas, Texas) head, but the Raiders retained their lead when the ball hit the crossbar and went out of play.  

 

Jakubowski led Long Island offensively with five shots, while Adam Janssen had seven saves for the Blackbirds in goal. Miller proved solid for Colgate between the posts stopping five shots on the day.  

 

“It's always great to start the season off on a winning note,” commented Colgate head coach Erik Ronning. “I thought defensively that we played pretty well but have lots of room for improvement. I'm very happy to open the season with a win over a quality opponent,” continued Ronning.  “However, we have a long way to go.”

 

The Raiders will next travel to face area rival, Binghamton on Saturday at 7 p.m.

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