The AU Eagles (5-4) defeated the Army Black Knights (1-8) with a 2-0 victory to win their second Patriot league match up Oct. 2. The Eagles improved to 2-0 against Patriot League opponents after beating Bucknell on Sept. 25. The win on Saturday against Army was a nice response to being shutout by Virginia Tech on the 28th.
In a game where the Eagles were trying to avoid losing their second game in a row, they ended up dominating West Point. Seniors Jamie Davin and Nick Kapus scored goals to put AU ahead at the finish on the game.
Following the first half of play in which both sides appeared evenly matched, AU needed a strong second half to put the game away. With 15 shots against Army’s two in the second half, the Eagles controlled the ball in the latter part of the game.
In the 72nd minute, Davin scored a penalty kick after being fouled inside the box, putting the Eagles up 1-0.
Later in the game, an Army foul gave senior Mike Worden a penalty kick. Worden lined up and fired a shot, but a stunning save from Army’s Ryan Currens kept the ball out of the net.
Just three minutes later, Kapus scored off an assist from Davin, putting a finishing touch on the game and defeating the Black Knights for the fourth straight time and seven out of the last eight match-ups.
“I challenged the guys to raise the energy in the second half and the improved work rate led to more scoring opportunities,” Head Coach Todd West told AU Athletics. “Overall it was a hard-fought conference win on the road. Army is an improved team and we are happy with the result.”
The Patriot League Player of the Week for August 20-26, junior goalkeeper Matt Makowski, put his name in for a repeat bid at the honor, earning his second shutout of the season with a couple great saves.
Makowski will need to be at top form for the rest of the season — he’s played every minute of the season so far, and the Eagles will be looking for him to continue carrying his team to the Patriot League playoffs.
The leading scorer for the Eagles, sophomore transfer Alassane Kane, was kept quiet by the Black Knights’ defense, getting three shots off in the last third of the game.
AU now turns to its second Big East opponent of the year, facing Georgetown University in an inter-city battle on Oct. 6. A win against Georgetown would make for the first consecutive victories this season for the Eagles.
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