EASTON, Pa. – Colgate men's soccer junior Jared Stroud scored the game-winning goal with just over two minutes left in regulation to lift the Raiders to a 1-0 win at Lafayette Saturday. The victory secures Colgate's ticket to the Patriot League Tournament as well as a quarterfinal home game Tuesday night.
 
Colgate will be the No. 3 seed in the Patriot League Tournament and will host No. 6 Army West Point at Beyer-Small '76 Field Tuesday. American clinched the top seed and will host both semifinal games and the championship contest. Loyola will be the No. 2, with Boston University taking the fourth seed and Bucknell securing the No. 5 seed. 
 
The Raiders threatened with two shots and four corner kicks in the opening eight minutes before Colgate senior keeper Ricky Brown was forced to make his first save in the ninth minute. The Leopards registered a corner kick and shot in the 16th minute, but it would be the final Lafayette shot of the half as the Raiders took control from there.
 
Senior Ethan Kutler fired a shot on frame in the 27th minute, but Leopard keeper Brad Seeber was there to make the stop. Lafayette's Joe DeStefano was given a red card in the 40th minute as the Leopards were forced to play with just 10 men the rest of the way. A shot from sophomore Oliver Harris ended the first half as the teams took a scoreless draw into the locker room.
 
A header from Karl Brown nearly found the back of the net 13 minutes into the second half, but Seeber snagged the ball just under the crossbar to keep the game scoreless.  Ricky Brown came up with a huge stop in the 68th minute on an attempt from Ryan Egan as he stood as the last line of defense on a breakaway chance from the Leopards. Sophomore Uyi Omorgbe had a pair of great chances shortly thereafter, but his first attempt bounced of the crossbar before his second was stopped by Seeber.
 
Stroud was finally able to put the Raiders on the board in the 88th minute with just 2:07 remaining in the game. He fired a shot from the right side to the near post and his ball bounced off Seeber's fingertips and into the net. Colgate held onto its late lead to claim a 1-0 victory and punch its ticket to the Patriot League Tournament. 
 
BOTTOM LINE

• Colgate 1, Lafayette 0

 
WON-LOST RECORDS

• The Raiders close out the regular season with a 5-3-1 mark in league action and an 11-6-1 overall record.
• Lafayette falls to 7-9-2 on the season and 3-5-1 in the Patriot League.

 
KEY RAIDER INFO

• Colgate captured its ninth shutout of the season and third clean sheet in Patriot League play.
• The Raiders will be making their sixth Patriot League Tournament appearance in the last seven years.
• Stroud's goal was his third of the season.  It brings his season total to a team-best 13 points (three goals, seven assists).
• Brown notched his 17th career shutout, which is tied for third all-time on Colgate's career shutouts leaderboard.

 
FACTS & FIGURES

• The Raiders finished the game with an 11-4 shot advantage and 4-2 shot on goal edge.
• Colgate also held a 9-4 corner kick lead.
• Brown made two saves in goal, while Seeber made three.

 
FROM THE SOURCE
Head Coach Erik Ronning

• "I thought our guys brought a great approach to the game, focusing in and executing out game plan in the first half. Obviously the red card changed the flow of the game. The boys did well to stay composed, stay patient, and have confidence that we would eventually find a goal."
• "Jared Stroud has been fantastic all year and came up with a big play to send us into the postseason. Ricky Brown also came up big in the second half to stop a Lafayette counter. He gave us an opportunity to win the game."
• "Today had a bit of a postseason feel to it due to the circumstances of the game and how it would affect our playoff chances. We should feel confident that we can perform in a pressure-filled atmosphere, and be excited to host one more game at home on Beyer-Small. I know we will be focused and ready to compete come Tuesday."

 
UP NEXT

• The Raiders open up the Patriot League Tournament Tuesday with a quarterfinal game at Beyer-Small '76 Field vs. No. 6 Army West Point.
• The winner will advance to Friday's Patriot League Semifinals. No. 1 seed American will host both semifinal games as well as the championship contest.
• All information on how to follow can be found at Game Central.