While AU Men's Soccer teams from past years have accomplished such feats as qualifying for the NCAA tournament and even advancing to the round of 16 in 2002, this year's team did something Saturday night that none of those teams had: win a regular-season Patriot League title.
The Eagles did so by wining, 3-2, at Lafayette in overtime, twice recovering from one-goal deficits before senior forward Sean Albright rocketed home the winner in the 100th minute - the final minute of the first of two possible overtime periods.
"It was just heart and guts," said AU head coach Todd West. "It was a bigtime win. The last time we won a regular-season championship and hosted, it was that 1997 team that went to the Elite Eight. So hopefully it's a good omen for us."
That team played in the Colonial Athletic Association, where the Eagles played until they moved to the PL in 2001.
The Eagles secured the right to host this year's tournament in sensational fashion.
Albright fired home the winner from 22 yards out, beating Lafayette 'keeper Mike Tortora to the upper right corner of the net. While Albright's transition from defense to attack this season has been rather successful, his marksman-like goal, while not unfeasible, was unexpected.
"When I recruited him, he was a defensive midfielder, and I saw him hit four or five of those," West said. "I knew it was something he could do. But his goal [Saturday] night was just amazing."
The Eagles, who finish their regular season at 12-5-2, 6-1 in the PL, only needed a tie against the Leopards (12-5, 4-3 PL) to secure the league crown and the right to host the four-team PL tournament.
The winner of the tournament gets an automatic berth to the NCAA tournament, which is paramount for all contenders, as at-large berths into the 48-team competition are unlikely to come from the PL.
By beating the Leopards, the Eagles sent them all the way down to fourth place in the league, meaning the two will meet again Friday at Reeves Field in the PL tournament semifinals.
The Eagles don't appear daunted by playing the Leopards twice in seven days.
"I figured we knew the four teams that were in the tournament, so why not win the game," West said. "And if we get out on them like we did, they've got to have some doubt in their mind."
Had the Leopards won, they would've hosted next weekend. For much of the match, that looked a likely scenario.
Lafayette started brightly, and drew blood in the 31st minute when Ryan McCaughey nailed a shot just underneath the crossbar after reaching a centering feed from Thomas Harju.
The Eagles responded swiftly. Only two minutes later, feisty sophomore forward Salvatore Caccavale leveled the score, redirecting an AU shot-on-goal to fool Tortora.
"They came out flying," West said of Lafayette. "I certainly don't think we came out flat, but when they got the early goal, I think it woke us up. It was great to equalize so quickly."
The Leopard went ahead again in the 54th minute, and Harju was again the creator, this time finding the head of Nathan Jolly on a corner kick that Jolly nodded past AU 'keeper Thomas Myers.
The Eagles pressed for another equalizer, outshooting Lafayette, 6-2, in the second half. And in similar fashion to their Wednesday overtime win against Pennsylvania, they were finally rewarded when hope started to wane.
Sophomore midfielder Garth Juckem gave the Eagles a second life by scoring the equalizer in the 83rd minute, knocking home a cross from senior midfielder Shawn Kuykendall.
Sixteen minutes later, Albright scored the winner. In that overtime period, the same trends from the second half continued, with AU outshooting the Leopards, 3-1.
Tortora finished with eight saves for Lafayette, while Myers was only forced into one for the Eagles.
The teams will clash again Friday in one semifinal. Second-seeded Lehigh and third-seeded Bucknell will play in the other. The games will kick off at 11 a.m. and 2 p.m., but which team will play when has not been determined.
The winners will meet in the final on Sunday, also at Reeves Field. Kick-off time for that match is to be announced.
