Despite multiple scoring attempts, the men's soccer team was unable to capture a win during the 1-0 game against William and Mary Tuesday.
The Eagles came straight from a tough loss on Saturday to Virginia Commonwealth University. The intensity and quality of the team's performance didn't waiver as the Eagles outshot the Tribe with 11 total attempts compared to the nine taken by the players of William and Mary. Unfortunately, these attempts on goal would prove to be unsuccessful.
The Eagles kept its opponents at bay for the first half of the game as the scoreboard remained empty. In the 29th minute, the Eagles' goalkeeper Chris Sedlak saved a Tribe player's attempt to score.
Coming out of the half, both teams were ready to get the ball in the back of the net. William and Mary was able to do just that in the 71st minute of the game despite the drive and determination of the AU men.
"We played well, and we looked like we were going to win it," head coach Todd West said, according to an AU press release. "It came down to an unlucky bounce."
The turning point came after the Tribe's goalkeeper powered a punt far over the midfield line. Unluckily for AU, it bounced towards goal. Just as an American defender stepped up to attack the ball and play a header forward, he missed it, allowing a Tribe forward to run with a breakaway.
Sedlak was left alone and forced to stand up against the one-on-one that came racing down the field. The ball found its way to the back of the net past Sedlak, moving the Tribe one above the Eagles.
The Eagles were relentless leading up to the only point tallied throughout the 90 minutes of play. The team applied continual pressure to the Tribe the entire game.
Regardless of the score, the AU men responded with an aggressive offense. Jon Freimark and Jamie Davin fired two shots on goal in the last few minutes of game play but were unable to get past the Tribe goalkeeper. AU finished the second half with eight shots on goal and no points registered.
Although a loss is frustrating, West said he feels the team is progressing.
"We're moving in the right direction to compete in our league," he said in the AU press release.
The Eagles' overall record has dropped to 3-4-1 after losing the last two games and ending another with a tie.
AU hosts Army in the Patriot League opener and annual Phil Reeves game on Saturday.
