The men’s soccer team (2-0-1 overall) continued its hot start to the season with a 3-2 road win against Fairfield University (0-3 overall) this past Saturday.
The Leopards got the scoring started early against the Stags, with sophomore forward Roy Biegon scoring in the 17th minute off an assist from sophomore midfielders Griffin Feather and Beaux Lizewski.
“The first 20 minutes, we got the first goal and were kind of dominating a ton of corner kicks,” Lizewski said.
Unfortunately for the Maroon and White, the Stags retook control of the game with goals in the 22nd and 29th minutes and the first period ended with the Leopards facing a 2-1 deficit.
“They got a goal that we shouldn’t have given up on a corner kick — we try not to give up goals on set pieces,” Lizewski said. “But they got one and that kind of shifted the momentum.”
The Leopards opened the second half by narrowly dodging a bullet, as junior goalkeeper Eric Axtman saved two goals from Fairfield at the 53rd and 55th-minute marks.
“We went down early and kind of had to battle back to eventually win the game 3-2,” Axtman said. “You’re not going to be able to start every game winning. Being able to battle back is kind of what determines how well a team can do down the stretch.”
With time dwindling down the stretch, freshman defender Jackson Vajda sent a free kick in the direction of Biegon, who assisted Lizewski in the game-tying goal in the 74th minute.
The Biegon-Lizewski connection was crucial yet again for the Maroon and White in the 80th minute, as Lizewski crossed the ball to Biegon, who headed it straight into the goal to take a 3-2 lead. The Leopards were able to hold off the Stags’ scoring attempts in the closing minutes of the game to return to Lafayette College with the win.
“We need to work on when we get the lead like we did against Fairfield, we need to keep working on keeping that lead and not having to claw back,” Lizewski said. “Because even in the first game against UMass-Lowell, we scored first and then we gave up a goal late.”
While the team remains undefeated, Axtman maintained long-term goals as a key focus, between hoping to host home playoff games and getting the younger classes up to speed.
“I’m one of the older guys on the team now and we have two really big sophomore and freshman classes,” Axtman said. “I think getting them caught up into our system as quickly as possible is definitely a goal I have as leading the team.”
Men’s soccer will remain on the road for a contest against Villanova University tomorrow at Higgins Soccer Complex in Villanova, Pennsylvania.