Soccer Game Central

HAMILTON, N.Y. (10/20/11) – The Colgate men's soccer team will return to Patriot League action this weekend when it travels to Lafayette for its fifth league matchup on Saturday, Oct. 22 at 7 p.m. in Easton, Pa.
 
The Raiders are coming off their third double overtime tie, 1-1, against Binghamton on Tuesday night. Junior Patrick Letourneau scored the team's lone goal in the game.
 
LEAGUE PLAY
Colgate (8-3-3) currently has a 2-1-1 league record, dropping a game to American, tying with Lehigh in overtime and then securing wins over Holy Cross and Army. With seven points, the team is still in a three-way tie for second with Lafayette and Lehigh who also have 2-1-1 conference marks. Sitting at the top spot is American with a perfect 4-0 record while Bucknell is fifth with six points from two wins and two losses.

SCORING LEADERS
The Raiders are led by senior co-captain Steven Miller who has 14 points from seven goals. The forward now leads the league in goals and goals per game, and is second in points and points per game. Miller is followed by junior Shane Conlin who has three goals and one assist for seven points. In third are senior co-captain Mike Reese and BRINE Patriot League Rookie of the Week Jimmy McLaughlin, who have four points each. Reese has two game-winning goals while McLaughlin has one goal and two assists.

MCLAUGHLIN EARNS ROOKIE AWARD
Freshman Jimmy McLaughlin was named this week's BRINE Patriot League Rookie of the Week for his performance in the team's 3-2 overtime win over Army last weekend. The rookie had an assist in the game-winning goal after making a strong run down the left wing and then slipping the ball to Conlin who scored the goal.
McLaughlin received the award for the second time this season.

SERIES
Colgate leads the all-time series against the Leopards, owning a 14-11-3 recod since the teams first met in 1987. This will be the 11th meeting between the two teams in Easton, Pa. with the Leopards holding a slight 5-4-1 advantage at home. The Raiders have won the last six games in the series, starting in the 2007 season.
 
SCOUTING LAFAYETTE
The Leopards (6-6-2, 2-1-1 PL), who were picked to finish fifth in the preseason poll, are coming off a 1-0 overtime loss to American and a 2-1 setback to Princeton last week. The team is currently tied for second with Colgate and Lehigh, collecting seven points from two wins over Holy Cross and Lehigh, a loss to American and a double overtime tie with Navy.
 
Lafayette is led by juniors Kyle Scharfenberg, Blake Fink and Sean Peckham. Scharfenberg has a team-high seven points from three goals and one assist while Fink has six points from three goals and Peckham has four points from one goal and two assists. Defending the net is senior Graham Heydt who has started in 10 games and has a total of 57 saves for a .905 save percentage.

PL WEEKLY AWARD WINNERS
The Raiders have had four players win a BRINE Patriot League Weekly Award this season, including two defensive players of the week, two rookies and one offensive player award. Senior Mike Reese and junior Patrick Letourneau have each won a Defensive Player of the Week Award, while freshman Jimmy McLaughlin was a two-time Rookie of the Week selection and senior Steven Miller received Offensive Player of the Week accolades.
 
PATRIOT LEAGUE PRESEASON POLL
The Colgate men's soccer team was picked to finish on top of the league in the 2011 Patriot League Preseason Poll voted by head coaches and sports information directors in the league. The Raiders, who had 94 points and 10 first-place votes, were projected to finish first above the 2010 defending PL tournament champions, Bucknell, which had 86 points and 4 first-place votes.