HAMILTON – Colgate men's soccer scored late on a Nick Rizzo blast to finished off a 3-2 thrilling victory over visiting Air Force here Friday night.
 
The Raiders had created a two-goal margin between the teams early in the opening period but saw the Falcons rally back to knot the score midway through the second half. With time winding down, Rizzo handed the Raiders back their edge for good when he fired one home off an Ethan Kutler set piece.
 
Troy Moo Penn and Zach Tamen also recorded goals in the contest.
 
Colgate is now on a three-game winning streak after the win and shift to 3-1-1 on the year.

The Raiders started off strong with a goal from Moo Penn just three minutes into the match. Jared Stroud recorded the assist after he and Moo Penn played catch right before the sophomore found the lower left-hand corner of the net.
 
Tamen extended Colgate's advantage to 2-0 in the 30th minute, following a unique play. Kutler swung in a solid corner kick, which found the head of Rizzo. The senior flicked the pass on with his head to rookie Aram Ouligian, who then immediately continued the trend and headed it over to Tamen to finish it off past the goalie.
 
The Raiders took their two-goal edge into the break but Air Force would not go away as it answered back with two goals in the middle of the second half to tie the game up at 2-2.
 
The stage was then set for a game-winner as the end of regulation was nearing. Luckily, Rizzo was up for the challenge, and with just a little more than five minutes left in the game put Colgate back on top with his first marker of the year. Again Kutler played a beautiful free kick from 30-yards out that found the foot of Rizzo, who was able to one-time it past the goalie, John Wendt.
 
The game-winner led to a Colgate offensive push in the final remaining minutes and the Raiders' were able to hold on to secure the win.
 
Colgate's goalie Ricky Brown did not go unnoticed in the game as he made three saves, including an important goal-saving stop late in the first half, to keep his team on top by two.
 
Head coach Erik Ronning's squad next welcomes Duquesne on Sunday in the final game of the CU Inaria Classic. That contest is scheduled for a 2 p.m. start on Beyer-Small '76 Field. Live stats and video will be available at the start of the game.
BOTTOM LINE
• Colgate 3, Air Force 2

WON-LOST RECORDS
• Colgate shifts to 3-1-1 on the year
• Air Force dips to 2-3-0

KEY RAIDER INFO
• Rizzo notched the game-winner in the 85th minute, marking his first of the year.  
• Moo Penn and Tamen also found the back of the net for their second and first goals of the season, respectively.
• Brown finished with three saves, pushing his season total to 18.
• The Raiders are now riding a three-game unbeaten streak.

FACTS & FIGURES
• The Falcons held the slight 10-9 edge on shots, while also recording five shots on goal to Colgate's four.
• Air Force held the small 3-2 advantage on corner kicks.
• Stroud and Moo Penn led the Raiders in shots with two each, while five others recorded one.    
• In total, Colgate made three saves, while the Falcons' posted one.   
• There were three yellow cards issued in the contest; two to Colgate and one to Air Force.
 
GATE GRAB BAG
• The attendance at Beyer-Small '76 Field was 676.
 
FROM THE SOURCE
• Colgate Head Coach Erik Ronning: (on creating an early 2-0 lead) "We came out on the front foot and made a couple plays to get the early lead. Our guys made great runs and were the first to the ball, catching them on the back foot a little bit."
 
"We came out with a tremendous amount of energy and a good game plan. We were able to put a couple away and it was a great start by the guys."
 
(on bouncing back after losing the lead) "First of all, Air Force is a really good team. They're a couple of goals down on the road and this is college soccer where teams are very tight. They wanted to make a game of it, and they certainly did."
 
"We were on the back foot. They played with a tremendous amount of energy and confidence and didn't let the two goals that we scored in the first half deter their will and determination. They have good players, a good team and a good plan."
 
"We didn't respond particularly well for most of the half and once they tied it up it was 0-0 again. We just happened to make a play on a set piece and were very fortunate."
 
"The thing I'll say is we have a group of guys here that are working really hard. A couple years ago this was a type of game that doesn't go our way. We just found a way, in challenging circumstances, against a great team, who is playing very well, to sneak out a win. It wasn't pretty in the second half, but I'm really proud of the guys for sticking to it, battling, still believing and putting it away. It's nice to get the win. We'll go back, take a look at the tape and see what we can do better."

UP NEXT
• The Raiders next welcome Duquesne on Sunday for the final game of the CU Inaria Classic.
• Gametime is slated for 2 p.m. on Beyer-Small '76 Field.
• Live stats and video will be available for the game.

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