Feeding off the momentum from last week’s Patriot League opener, American University’s Men’s soccer won their second consecutive Patriot League game crushing the Army Black Knights 4-0 at home. The win kept the Eagles undefeated in their conference and improved their overall record to 5-3-1.
The Eagles came into the game as the favorite facing a 1-8 Army team. However, the first-half performance of the Eagles was unexpectedly empty as far as scoring. Both teams were held to a 0-0 tie after the first 45 minutes. The Eagles had ample opportunities offensively with 10 shots, and holding the opposition to only one shot. In the 31st minute, the Eagles’ junior Mike Worden found himself alone with the ball, within eight feet of the net. Unfortunately, he couldn’t capitalize as the shot deflected off of Black Knight goalie Nick Alexander.
“We were adjusting to their style of play,” junior Daniel Shannon said after the game. “They beat us to the ball at midfield a lot.”
The Eagles came out more aggressive in the second half, living up to their potential. In the 51st minute, Shannon received a well-weaved pass from junior Nick Kapus and dribbled the ball into the goal-box before shooting the ball past goalie Nick Alexander to put the Eagles up 1-0.
The Eagles played a defensive “cat-and-mouse” game for the next 30 minutes. They consistently passed to keep the ball out of Black Knight possession. The last ten minutes, however, proved to be quite unusual. In the 84th minute, Shannon came right back on the attack with Worden. Shannon trapped a pass from Worden past the Black Knight’s goalie and tapped the ball into the net, increasing the Eagles’ lead to 2-0. Three minutes later, sophomore Jack Scott received a long pass from junior Jamie Davin, which according to the Army defense, was an offside. This hindered the defense from resuming play, whereas Scott finished the drive, shooting the ball into the right side of the net with ease. The Eagles’ offensive attack finished with a goal scored by junior David Menzie in the 88th minute. Menzie came from the left side short of the box and shot it towards the far post to cap a 4-0 win.
The game initially and statistically seemed to be a mere mismatch. AU scored three goals within the last 10 minutes. AU outshot the Black Knights by an amazing 26-2 difference. The Eagles also surpassed Army with the number of the corner kicks executed (13-3). AU goalie Matt Makowski had an easy outing, recording one save on the day.
“We were frustrated in the first half, but we made adjustments, trying to find our flight players, and the guys did a better job in the second half,” said Coach Todd West. “The momentum never shifted [Army’s] way.”
The Eagles will face their next opponent, the Lafayette Leopards, this Saturday at 1 p.m. at Reeves’ Field.
You can reach this writer at sports@theeagleonline.com.
