BURLINGTON, Vt. — Men's soccer fell on the road to a nationally ranked Vermont squad, 2-0, on Monday afternoon. Senior goalkeeper
Andrew Cooke made seven saves to keep the Raiders within striking distance and first-years
Wade Johnson and
Conor Geraghty made their first-career starts.
Colgate held tough in the early going, withstanding an onslaught of pressure from the Catamount's aggressive attack. Defenders junior Dale Lepper and sophomore Liam Winograd assisted Cooke in the back third, blocking three would-be goals with excellent play in the box. Eventually, Vermont's pressure broke through in the 20th minute when senior defender Jake Ashford's header found the back of the net off a set piece from first-year defender Nick Lockermann.
"When you play a team like Vermont you have to bring focus and intensity for every minute of the game,"
Head Coach Erik Ronning said. "We had a brief lapse on a set piece that put us in a hole early. There were some great moments to build on from the second half in particular, and this experience will make us a stronger team."
The Raiders rallied, however, raising the tempo coming out of the half and logging three of the first five shots in the second frame. Senior captain Adam Fam took a shot off the set piece for Colgate's first real chance, but his shot went wide right.
A little over 10 minutes later, Johnson single-handedly beat two Catamount defenders with speed and sent in a shot from just inside the box, but the screamer was blocked before it got on net.
Vermont would go on to control the rest of the game with precision passing and long spells of possession, ultimately putting the game out of reach in the 86 minute on a goal from senior midfielder Carter Johnson.
In addition to Geraghty and Johnson, five other first-years found the pitch on Monday afternoon. Defender Connor Cates made his fourth straight start, midfielders Aidan Wright and Jack Beerling made their third and fourth appearances, respectively, and defender Cooper Cardenas and midfielder Will Thygeson made their collegiate debuts.
UP NEXT
Colgate heads home on Saturday, Sept. 9, for an out-of-conference matchup against Fairfield at 3 p.m.
