For the second game in a row, a hard-fought battle ended with a draw in double overtime as American University men’s soccer (2-1-2) and the Navy Midshipmen (4-1-1) each scored only one goal. Ending with a draw, AU has advanced to the four-team Patriot League tournament, notching a top-four seed for the first time since 2016.
The Eagles’ defensive effort was key once again as they dealt with a flurry of shots from the Midshipmen.
“I am very proud of the guys,” head coach Zach Samol said postgame. “I will say, you know, I think the guys are really happy to be advancing, obviously, and you can see it. But there’s also a bit of ‘We can be better’ and handle details better in overtime.”
The Eagles’ sole goal once again came from junior forward David Coly. Sophomore midfielder Jack Green took a free kick to set up Coly after freshman midfielder Jason Bouregy drew a foul outside the goal box. Green found Coly right in front of the goal and, after fighting the defense and an initial deflection off the right post, Coly struck the ball into the back of the net.
However, the Midshipmen outshot the Eagles with 16 total shots, five of which were on goal. AU, who took far fewer shots with four total, shot three on goal. Goalkeeping and stout defense from the Eagles’ back four kept Navy from doing any more damage, as senior goalkeeper Jake Agnew picked up three of the Eagles’ four saves and continued to do excellent work between the posts in the two overtimes.
“I was trying to find some patterns,” Agnew said postgame. “It was a similar play earlier that they tried to cut the ball back, and I just saw the same thing happening. I just tried to get set and make the save.”
The Eagles will look to advance to the Patriot League championships with a win against the South Division’s top-seeded Loyola Greyhounds on Wednesday at 7 p.m. at Loyola.
