WEST POINT, N.Y. – Karl Brown's header in the 74th minute lifted Colgate men's soccer to a 2-1 victory over Army West Point here Wednesday night.
Despite a rain delay of one hour and 45 minutes, the Raiders were able to find two unanswered second half goals to take the win, shifting them to 5-2-0 in Patriot League action.
After a scoreless 51 minutes, Army broke the deadlock following a goal from Okheem Riley.
Colgate would not let up though as it continued to pressure the Black Knights' backline looking for the equalizer.
The Raiders found that at the 68:53 mark when
Ethan Kutler netted his team-best eighth goal of the season.
Tyler Forbes brought the ball out of midair around the center circle and volleyed it over the Black Knights' defense to a running Kutler. The junior then collected the ball inside the 18-yard box, tucking it away with his right foot into the opposite post.
Less than five minutes later, Kutler whipped in a dangerous corner kick that landed directly at the head of Brown. The sophomore redirected the cross from just inside the six-yard box into the upper corner of the near post for his first career game-winner.
Colgate's
Ricky Brown was solid between the posts, finishing with three saves.
The Raiders had the majority of scoring chances in the opening period, holding the shot advantage at 4-2. Unfortunately, the visitors weren't able to find the back of the night, keeping the game scoreless at the break.
The Black Knights ended the stalemate in the 52nd minute when Riley and Cody Guerry teamed up to slide one just past R. Brown.
Kutler's marker tied things up nearly 17 minutes later, before the stage was set for K. Brown's game-winner at 73:05.
Colgate then held Army to just two shots, one of which was on frame, in the final minutes to secure the victory.
The Raiders are back in action Saturday when they host Loyola at 4 p.m. on Beyer-Small '76 Field. Live stats and video will be available at gametime.
BOTTOM LINE• Colgate 2, Army West Point 1
WON-LOST RECORDS• Colgate is now 8-6-2 overall with a 5-2-0 mark in Patriot League play
• Army dips to 4-6-4 and 2-2-2, respectively
KEY RAIDER INFO• Kutler had a hand in both of Colgate's goals, shifting his season points total to 22.
• Kutler tallied a goal in the 69th minute before assisting on K. Brown's marker in the 74th.
• R. Brown finished with three stops in the contest, pushing his season total to 62.
FACTS & FIGURES• Both teams notched 10 shots throughout the match to go along with their four shots on goal.
• Corner kicks were swayed in favor of the Raiders at 8-3.
• R. Brown compiled three saves, while Army's Chris Britt finished with two.
• Kutler led all players with five shots in the contest, two of which were on frame.
• It was a clean game overall with no cards beings issued.
RECORDS WATCH• Kutler is now tied for ninth in career goals with 22, tied for second in assists with 15 and tied for seventh in points with 59.
FROM THE SOURCE•
Colgate Head Coach Erik Ronning: (on the game) "Tonight's game was just an outstanding all-around effort from the guys. I'm so proud of them for showing the mental toughness to come out and compete the way they did, especially after the delay. Credit to Army West Point's facilities team who helped get the field into shape in such a quick manner."
"We stuck to our game plan and remained calm even through the 1-0 deficit. The resiliency our players showed tonight was really something special. We are looking forward to returning home for our matchup against Loyola on Family Weekend. It should be a great game."
UP NEXT• The Raiders welcome Loyola for Colgate's Family Weekend on Saturday at 4 p.m.
• The Greyhounds are coming off a 5-0 loss at Bucknell on Wednesday.
• Live stats and video are available at the start of the game.
