HAMILTON — Colgate men's soccer stayed in the win column on Tuesday night with a 1-0 non-conference win against the UAlbany Great Danes. Senior captain
Adam Fam netted the first goal of his career on a penalty kick drawn by junior
Alejandro Coury in the 26th minute, and the Raiders continued their dominant stretch on defense to preserve senior goalkeeper
Andrew Cooke's eighth-career shutout.
"It was a really tough game tonight," Head Coach
Erik Ronning said. "It wasn't a pretty game by any stretch, but I'm very happy with the positive result. We didn't start incredibly well, but we grew into the game and responded very well in some difficult moments to get the win."
Despite logging the first four shots, earning a corner kick and controlling the majority of possession through the opening 25 minutes, the Great Danes found themselves in an early hole after a penalty led to a free kick for the Raiders.
In the 26th minute, Fam took advantage of the space provided by the UAlbany defense, working the ball deep inside the offensive third before playing a streaking Coury in the box. Coury took the pass in stride, but before he could turn towards goal, was clipped by a Great Dane defender.
Fam stepped up to the penalty mark and calmly knocked in his first-career goal, giving the Raiders a one-score advantage they would not relinquish for the rest of the game.
Jolted to life after taking the lead, Colgate rattled off the next four shots in the rest of a back-and-forth first frame. UAlbany answered with a pair of quick shots before half, but neither threatened Cooke in goal.
Cooke ended his night with two total saves, including one in the second half that helped to preserve his third clean sheet of the season. UAlbany nearly spoiled the shutout midway through the second, but their celebration was cut short when the referee called for an offsides.
The Great Danes then went on to tally three more shots in the second, none of goal, while Colgate hunkered down on the defensive end. The Raiders hung on to claim the victory despite not logging a shot for the entirety of the second half.
UP NEXT
Colgate begins a tough stretch of four-straight Patriot League games, starting with a trip to West Point to take on Army on Oct. 21.
