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HAMILTON – Colgate is your 2015 Patriot League Men's Soccer Regular Season Champion.
After blanking Lafayette 3-0 here Saturday afternoon, the Raiders secured the No. 1 seed and home field advantage throughout the Patriot League tournament. The league quarterfinals are scheduled to begin Tuesday at the sites of the higher seeds. Those winners, along with Boston University, which clinched the No. 2 seed, then head to Hamilton for the remainder of the tournament.
Game times for the conference tournament on Beyer-Small '76 Field are as follows:
Friday, Nov. 13Semifinal 1 - #1 Colgate vs. lower-seeded quarterfinal winner @ 4 p.m.
Semifinal 2 - #2 Boston U. vs. higher-seeded quarterfinal winner @ 7 p.m.
Sunday, Nov. 15Championship Game – 1 p.m.
Ethan Kutler put the Raiders up early by converting a penalty kick 20 minutes into the match. Colgate then wrapped up the victory with late goals from
Zach Tamen and
Ben Snider in the 76th and 88th minute. Snider's tally marked the first of his career.
Ricky Brown wasn't tested until the second half, when he compiled four saves to earn his sixth shutout of the season. He now sits tied for ninth all-time in season shutouts, joining Jeff Lipman '97 and Doug Litvack '05.
Despite the Leopards pressuring the Raider backline in the opening five minutes of play, Colgate controlled much of the ball possession.
Kutler nearly put the Raiders in front 15 minutes into the match following a free kick from 20 yards out. His low, driven attempt was barely saved by diving Leopards goalkeeper Brad Seeber.
Less than five minutes later, senior
Tyler Forbes was taken down on the left side of the 18-yard box, awarding the Raiders a penalty kick opportunity. Kutler was the man for the job, stepping up and blasting it into the lower left corner of the net for the eventual game-winner.
In the 30th minute, Kutler was looking for his second tally of the game when he again tested the Lafayette goalie on a shot from 30 yards out. The junior stepped up and launched a set piece on frame, but Seeber was able to make the diving save to push it out and away from danger.
Colgate took its one-goal lead into the break and continued much of his offensive attack early in the second half.
With 23 minutes remaining in the contest, Kutler broke free with the ball in the center of the field. The Lansing, New York, native dribbled toward goal, beating three Lafayette defenders along the way. He then fired a driven shot on net but his attempt sailed just wide of the right post.
Brown came up huge for the Raiders in the 70th minute when he pushed a header up and over the crossbar from point-blank range. That save marked Colgate's first stop of the contest and kept the Raiders up by one.
Tamen then handed Colgate an insurance tally at the 75:52 mark on a
Jared Stroud corner kick. Stroud sent a great cross into the box that slid past the face of the goal. Tamen was waiting on the back post to poke it in for the 2-0 edge.
Snider made it 3-0 in the 88th minute after finishing off a rebound.
Zach Pagani tried his luck on frame but was denied by a great save from Seeber. Unfortunately, the sophomore couldn't fall on the ball quickly enough as Snider blasted home the rebound for his first career tally.
Brown was forced to make one final save in the remaining minutes and the Raiders held on to earn their first Patriot League Regular Season title since 2010.
Colgate awaits its next opponent but will face the lower-seeded quarterfinal winner. The quarterfinals matchups are #3 American versus #6 Army West Point, as well as #4 Lehigh hosting #5 Bucknell. Those games are slated for Tuesday. The Raiders then host their semifinal game Friday at 4 p.m. on Beyer-Small '76 Field.
BOTTOM LINE• Colgate 3, Lafayette 0
WON-LOST RECORDS• Colgate closes out the regular season with an overall record of 10-6-2 to go along with its 7-2-0 mark in Patriot League play.
• Lafayette finishes with records of 5-8-5 and 2-5-1, respectively.
KEY RAIDER INFO• Colgate clinched the Patriot League Regular Season title with the shutout victory.
• The Raiders host the league tournament beginning Friday at 4 p.m.
• Kutler, Tamen and Snider all tallied goals in the contest.
• Brown finished with four saves in his sixth shutout of the season.
FACTS & FIGURES• The Raiders outshot their visitors 13-9, including a 9-4 edge on shots on goal.
• Lafayette registered five corner kicks to Colgate's three.
• Brown compiled four saves, while Lafayette's Seeber collected six.
• Kutler recorded his team-leading third game-winner of the season.
• Colgate saw Tamen notch his second goal of the year, while Snider grabbed his first.
• It was a clean game overall with neither team being issued a card.
BEYER-SMALL '76 FIELD• In the two-year existence of Colgate's Beyer-Small '76 Field, two Raider soccer teams not only won regular season titles but also earned hosting rights through the postseason.
• Just a year ago, the women's program was celebrating its league-leading 12th regular season crown. And now the men's team is enjoying its fourth, third in the
Erik Ronning era.
• These numbers reflect to 1990, which was Patriot League's inaugural year.
RECORDS WATCH• Kutler is now tied for eighth all-time in Colgate's records book with 24 career goals.
• He also sits tied for sixth in career points with 61. He is tied with 2011 graduate Steven Miller.
SENIOR DAY• The contest marked the final regular season match for four special seniors. Fortunately, those amazing student-athletes get to play at least one more game on Beyer-Small '76 Field after helping the Raiders clinch hosting rights in the league tournament.
•
Kyle Reilly,
Ryan Groffie,
Nick Rizzo and Forbes were acknowledged pregame for their significant contributions to Colgate Men's Soccer over the past four years.
UP NEXT• Colgate hosts the Patriot League tournament semifinals and final beginning Friday at 4 p.m.
• All contests take place on Beyer-Small '76 Field.
• The Raiders await the lower-seeded quarterfinal winner and will host them in the first semifinal game.
• Live stats and video are available at the start of the game.
GAME ARCHIVE
