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HAMILTON, N.Y. (8/27/11) – The Colgate men's soccer team secured its first win of the season when it defeated Syracuse 1-0 in its season opener in front of 1664 fans.

Freshman Jimmy McLaughlin scored the lone goal of the game to give the Raiders the win.

Colgate (1-0) came out to a strong start in the first half, holding majority of the ball possession in the first 20 minutes and firing a pair of shots but could not get past the wall of defenders planted in front of the Orange's goal. As the game progressed, the Raiders continued to move the ball around as they looked for a hole in Syracuse's defense. Despite some close scoring opportunities from senior co-captain Steven Miller and McLaughlin, Colgate could not put itself on the board, ending the first half tied at 0-0 with the Orange.

In the second half, Syracuse continued to struggle as it attempted to generate some offense but could not get past a sturdy Raider defense. Colgate then picked up the pace, winning a series of corners in the opening minutes but was unable to find room in the sea of Orange packed in the penalty box. Then, at the 52:54 mark, the Raiders found a break when a crossed ball from sophomore Nick Arpey slipped through the keeper's hands and landed in front of McLaughlin, who pulled left towards the end line and blasted it into Syracuse's goal to give his team the 1-0 lead. This was the freshman's first collegiate goal.

Colgate continued to control the game throughout the rest of the half as it looked for a second goal. However, despite some close attempts in the final minutes, including one from junior Shane Conlin that hit the post, the Raiders could not find success, settling with the 1-0 shut out win.

“We were very strong on both sides of the ball tonight,” stated head coach Erik Ronning. “Syracuse was very tough to break down and we had to earn everything we got. We have a long way to go but this was a great start to the season.”

The team will continue play on Wednesday, Aug. 31 when it hosts Hartwick at 7 p.m. on Van Doren Field.