Four conference games have been played, and the AU men’s soccer team remains unbeaten in the Patriot League after earning another valuable point in a 1-1 draw at Lafayette Oct. 13.
Dale McDonald put AU (6-5-2, 2-0-2 PL) in front 14 minutes into the contest with an unassisted goal. A Lafayette miscue led to McDonald taking the ball off the foot of a Leopard defender and striking his fifth goal of the season into the back of the net.
McDonald now leads the team with five goals, and he is tied with Holy Cross’ Josh Cintas for third in the conference.
The Leopards tried to take advantage of the multiple yellow cards issued in the first 45 minutes and net the equalizer before the break, but they were unable to convert. Lafayette outshot the Eagles 5-3 in the opening 45 minutes but took a 1-0 deficit into halftime.
Lafayette (5-7-2, 2-1-1 PL) continued to pressure the AU defense and was finally able to tie the match in the 89th minute. After eluding an AU defender, Peter Adubato sent in a cross from the right side of the field to Brandon Turner. Turner was able to put it past AU goalkeeper Billy Knutsen to knot the game up at 1-1.
The Leopards recorded two shots in the first overtime period, but Knutsen came up with the saves to keep the match tied. After finishing with four saves in each of the team’s two matches last week, Knutsen earned Patriot League Goalkeeper of the Week honors.
Both teams posted shots in the second overtime period, but neither were able to convert to break the tie and notch the game winner.
Lafayette held a 15-6 advantage in shots, with a 5-3 edge in shots on goal. Both teams had three corner kicks in the match.
AU will next host Navy Oct. 20, with conference play now past the halfway point. The Eagles ended the Midshipmen’s season a year ago, defeating Navy on penalty kicks in the Patriot League Semifinals.
AU currently remains tied atop the standings with defending Patriot League champion Colgate, whom the Eagles tied earlier this season in Hamilton, N.Y.
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