HAMILTON – A third-minute goal from Colgate senior Zach Tamen proved to be the game-winner Saturday afternoon as the Raiders captured a 1-0 win over visiting Lehigh at Beyer-Small '76 Field.
 
Colgate picked up three points in league play and earned the win over a Mountain Hawk squad that won the Patriot League Championship a season ago.
 
A free kick just outside the 18-yard box from senior Ethan Kutler opened the action in the third minute. Kutler's ball was punched out of harm's way by Lehigh keeper Will Smith, but the deflection led to a flurry in front of the next that the Raiders were able to convert. Sophomore Aram Ouligian was able to get a touch on a ball that was deflected off the goal line by a Lehigh defender and Tamen finished it when he headed it into the back of the net to give the Raiders an early 1-0 lead just 2:50 into the game.
 
The teams exchanged possession for much of the first half. A trio of Lehigh corner kicks from the 28th to 31st minutes were well defended by the Raider defense. The Raiders picked up pace towards the end of the opening term with three shots in the final five minutes, but it was Tamen's third-minute tally that stood as the lone goal heading into halftime.
 
The Raiders got off the first three shots of the second half before Colgate senior keeper Ricky Brown made four saves in a span of 10 minutes. Lehigh's Smith made a huge stop in the 66th minute when he just got his hands around a point-blank attempt from sophomore Freddy Jonsson to keep the Raider lead at 1-0.
 
Colgate kept the pressure up, outshooting the Mountain Hawks 3-1 in the final 20 minutes. The Raider defense withstood a late Lehigh charge to lock down the 1-0 victory.
 
BOTTOM LINE

• Colgate 1, Lehigh 0

 
WON-LOST RECORDS

• The Raiders pick up their first Patriot League win to move to 1-1-0 in league action and 6-3-0 overall.
• Lehigh falls to 3-6-1 overall and 0-2-0 in the Patriot League.

 
KEY RAIDER INFO

• Colgate recorded its sixth shutout of the season and first Patriot League clean sheet.
• Tamen's goal was his second of the season.
• Kutler led the squad with four shots.

 
FACTS & FIGURES

• Colgate outshot the Mountain Hawks 17-11.
• Both teams finished with five shots on goal and three corner kicks.
• Brown's five saves in goal were compared to Smith's four.

 
FROM THE SOURCE
Head Coach Erik Ronning

• "When you enter a game 0-1 in the Patriot League, you have to get points and results to give yourself an opportunity at the end of the season. The result and getting a shutout was very positive today."
• "We really had to grind it out. I give a lot of credit to Lehigh. They threw everything they had at us, particularly in the second half near the very end, and made it very difficult for us. I thought we lacked a little discipline at times and that's something we need to get better at."
• "At the end of the day, we really competed and battled and didn't give a lot away. We were unlucky not to score more than one goal, but we're really happy to get a few points in league play."

 
UP NEXT

• The Raiders hit the road Wednesday to take on Boston University in another Patriot League matchup.
• Kickoff from Nickerson Field is set for 7 p.m.
• All information on how to follow can be found at Game Central.