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HAMILTON, N.Y. – Patrick Letourneau scored his second game-tying goal in two games for the Colgate men's soccer team as the Raiders took American into double overtime on Saturday afternoon at Van Doren Field in a 1-1 tie.

“We had some good moments, and we had some poor moments but over all, what I am really pleased with and proud about is the way our guys battled,” head coach Erik Ronning said. “Coming back from a goal down in the Patriot League is never easy, and we showed a little bit of resiliency. “

Colgate (1-4-4, 0-0-1 Patriot League) was led by Letourneau with a goal while Mike Garzi notched the assist. Liam Stapleton came up big at important moments for the Raiders, earning six saves on the day.

American (4-3-1, 0-0-1 Patriot League) was led by Seth Goldman who scored a goal off a corner kick by Charlie Hunter. Billy Knutsen made four saves.

On a cold and rainy afternoon, the Raiders looked to start league play with a bang. In a back-and-forth first half, American got the first scoring opportunity of the game with a corner kick taken by Hunter. His fellow teammate Dale McDonald volleyed the ball out of the air over the post, keeping the game scoreless.

Another scoring chance for American came in the 15th minute when McDonald played a ball across the box. Wade Martin slid, making it impossible for Alassane Kane to put the ball away and the ball rolled out for a goal kick.

Only five minutes later, Stapleton made a huge save for the Raiders as American's Kane had a break away on net. Stapleton slipped but was still able to take away the angle. Kane took a shot at the lower right hand corner of the goal and Stapleton was able to push the ball away for Nick Arpey to clear it out of the box.

Later in the half, Mike Reidy used his fancy footwork to beat American defender Conor Osborne for a shot on goal. The ball was deflected by another defender and rolled right to Knutsen. Colgate kept the momentum with a dangerous free kick played into the box at the 35-minute mark by Stapleton. The ball went into the back of the net, but the referee called it back due to a handball on the Raiders. 

With only a few minutes remaining in the half, Colgate earned a corner kick and Letourneau came flying in with a laser of a header but the goalie made a great save.

Just five minutes into the second half the Eagles were able to take the lead off a corner kick by Hunter. In a mess of mixed players in front of the net, Goldman was able to find the ball and head it into the goal to give the visitors a 1-0 advantage.

Colgate looked to equalize with 28 minutes left to play as Arpey made a great run with the ball down the side of the field. He was able to get a cross off to Shane Conlin who one-touched the ball out of the air to Dan Matthews who couldn't put it away.

After keeping the pressure on the American defense, Colgate earned another corner kick and the Raiders capitalized on the chance. Senior captain Garzi played the ball over the goalies' head to his fellow senior captain Letourneau. He was able to use his thigh to put the ball into the back of the net, tying the game at one a piece.

The next chance for the Raiders came with five minutes left in regulation. Mike Reidy got fouled hard earning a yellow card on American. A free kick into the box bounced around before finally getting to Tanner Schilling. He took a one touch and fired a shot at goal sailing over the net but keeping the momentum with Colgate. The half would end tied at 1-1 forcing Colgate's fourth overtime game this season.

In the first overtime period, American's Hunter played a through ball to Kane creating his second breakaway of the gane. He took a few touches before he fired the ball at goal. Stapleton was able to push the ball over the net and out for a corner.

While Colgate held most of the possession in the second overtime, they couldn't find the back of the net. The game would end tied at one a piece.

“Moving forward, I think we can be a very good team, but we have to continue to improve on both sides of the ball,” Ronning added. “Having an entire week to prepare for Lehigh is a definite positive, allowing us to recover a bit.  I am looking forward for the upcoming week to get ready, and the challenge that awaits next Saturday.”

The Raiders will host another Patriot League game next Saturday as they take on the Mountain Hawks of Lehigh at 7 p.m. at Van Doren Field.