The AU men's soccer team continued their undefeated play at home with a 2-1 win over Loyola (Md.) on Sunday, extending their home winning streak to three games and evening their overall record at 3-3.
After back and forth play to open the game, the Eagles finally got on the board. Senior Garth Juckem scored his first goal on the season, following a cross off of the Loyola goaltender's hands, to put the Eagles up 1-0 in the 26th minute.
AU continued its scoring only 49 seconds into the second half on a goal by freshman defender Bryant Cooper, his first career collegiate goal, to put the Eagles up by two.
Loyola would avoid the shutout in the 77th minute when Jamie Darvill broke down AU's defense and slipped it into the back of the net to cut the lead to 2-1, where it would remain for the rest of the game.
AU goaltender Chris Sedlak would provide many key saves along the way, including a spectacular save in the first half when he dove from behind a screen to bat the ball away at the last second.
With the win, the Eagles improve to 3-0 at home, a stark contrast to their winless record so far away from Reeves Field. When asked why this is happening, Coach West said the team was trying to figure it out.
"We are trying to see what we need to do differently, including possibly shortening training sessions so we are fresher on the road," he said.
Captain Sal Caccavale added, "We are more comfortable at home. We like to attack as a team, which we can do at home, where on the road, we are forced to defend more."
The Eagles will look for their first road win of the season on Wednesday at George Washington, a stretch of six consecutive away game before returning to Reeves Field on Oct. 7 to face PL rival Holy Cross.
