Soccer Game Central

HAMILTON, N.Y. (9/15/11) – The Colgate men's soccer team will return to the friendly confines of Van Doren Field when it co-hosts the CU Classic with Cornell this weekend. The Raiders will first compete against Hofstra on Friday, Sept. 16 before taking on LIU on Sunday, Sept. 18 at 7 p.m. and 12 p.m. respectively.

The team is coming off a successful weekend at the Vermont Tournament. Colgate first shut out Vermont 1-0 on Friday before going on to defeat New Hampshire 2-1 on Sunday and win the tournament. Senior co-captains Steven Miller and Mike Reese were named the tournament's Offensive and Defensive MVPs respectively, while junior goalkeeper Grant Reed and freshman Jimmy McLaughlin were named to the all-tournament team alongside the captains.

MILLER LEADS OFFENSE
Senior forward Steven Miller was named this week's BRINE Patriot League Offensive Player of the Week after his performance at the Vermont Tournament last weekend. He received the award after scoring the game-winning goal in the team's 1-0 win over Vermont on Friday as well as the opening goal in its 2-1 win over New Hampshire on Sunday to help the Raiders win the tournament. He now leads the team with six points from three goals and is tied for first in the league in goals and goals per game (0.60).

SOLID DEFENSE
The team has played some solid defense this season, limiting their opponents to only 11 shots on goal and allowing them only six points from two goals and two assists. Colgate is second in the league and 12th in the nation in goals against average (0.37).

Defending the net has been junior Grant Reed, who has made a total of 11 saves this season for a .846 save percentage. The goalkeeper has conceded only two goals this season and leads the league with 3 shutout wins and 0.60 shutouts per game. He is ranked 13th nationally in goals against average (.367).

CAPTAINS MAKE THEIR MARK
Co-captains Miller and Mike Reese made their mark for the second week in a row, scoring all of the Raiders' goals in its last four games. Miller scored two goals last week while Reese scored one. They now lead the team with six and four points respectively and have contributed five of Colgate's six goals and 10 of its 17 points.

PL WEEKLY AWARD WINNERS
The Raiders have had four players win a Patriot League Weekly Award this season, including two defensive players of the week, one rookie 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 won the first Rookie of the Week honor and senior Steven Miller received the most recent Offensive Player of the Week award.

NSCAA MID-ATLANTIC RANKINGS
The Raiders continue to hold the second spot in the National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA) Mid-Atlantic Region poll this week. The University of North Carolina - Charlotte, sits at the number one spot with a 4-1 record. Patriot League opponents Lehigh, Bucknell and Lafayette are ranked third, sixth and seventh respectively. The team also received 39 votes in the NSCAA national poll this week.

SERIES
Colgate leads the all-time series against Hofstra, owning a 3-1 record since the teams first met in 1991. The Raiders won the last meeting 3-2 in 1998 and have won both matches that were played on Van Doren Field. The team's only loss was in 1997 when it lost to the Pride 2-0 on the road.

This will be the fourth meeting between Colgate and LIU. The Blackbirds lead the series with a 2-1 record since the teams first met in 1979. The Raiders only win in the series was in 2009 when they defeated LIU 1-0 in its first and only home game of the series. The Blackbirds won the last meeting 1-0 in 2010.

SCOUTING HOFSTRA
The Pride (1-2) has suffered a 1-0 loss to St. Francis (N.Y.) and a 2-0 setback to Iona in its opening game. The team's only win this season was over Albany 3-2 in overtime on Aug. 29.

Hofstra is led by sophomore Chris Griebsch, senior Brett Carrington and sophomore Florian Popp, who each have one goal for two points apiece. Defending the net is sophomore Roberto Pellegrini who has a 1.64 goals against average and a .750 save percentage.

SCOUTING LIU
The Blackbirds (1-1-2) are coming off a 0-0 double overtime draw with NJIT and a 1-0 shutout win over Rider last weekend. Prior to that the team suffered its only loss of the season to Gonzaga, 1-0, in overtime and tied its season opener with San Diego State, 2-2. Three of its first four games have ended in overtime.

LIU, which will face Cornell first before playing Colgate on Sunday, is led by junior Elliot Kane and senior Josh Maley. Kane leads the team with four points from two goals while Maley has one goal for two points. In goal the team is led by Adam Janssen who has a total of 29 saves for a .906 save percentage and has conceded only three goals this season.