The men’s soccer team (2-1-2 overall) completed its final leg of out-of-conference action before the start of Patriot League play, earning a 1-1 draw against Villanova (0-3-2 overall) on Saturday before suffering a heartbreaking defeat to Binghamton (3-2-1 overall) 1-0 on Tuesday night.
The Maroon and White opened the scoring against Villanova after senior forward Andrey McIntyre linked up with freshman midfielder Cade Maglione. Maglione slotted his first career goal into the net in the 35th minute for the Leopards after his initial shot was blocked.
The Leopards kept the Wildcats out of the goal for the remainder of the half, but Villanova found an equalizing goal in transition in the 74th minute. The Wildcats had the majority of the possession after the interval, but neither side found a breakthrough before full-time and the game ended in a tie.
Lafayette entered the game against Binghamton on Tuesday night as the only undefeated team remaining in the Patriot League. It was also the Leopards’ first home game in front of a full crowd at Metzgar Fields’ Gummeson Grounds, as their last home game against Siena did not start until after a two-hour delay.
With the momentum seemingly behind the Leopards, they nearly got out to the perfect start. Sophomore forward Roy Biegon won a free kick just outside the Binghamton penalty area, which he then directed toward the goal, clattering a shot off the outside of the post.
Despite the strong start from the Leopards, the Bearcats began to impose their own game as the first half went on, particularly in the form of long balls from their goalkeeper.
“We knew they were going to play pretty direct,” junior defender Nicholas Liebich said. “We were making sure we were reading their cues and dropping back when they were playing the long balls and also not holding them onside.”
The teams combined for seven shots in the first half, but neither team found a breakthrough.
In the second half, Binghamton came out playing more physically, at one point committing four fouls in four minutes. The Bearcats would end the second half with eight fouls compared to just one for Lafayette. According to Maglione, the Leopards tried to spin those moments to their advantage by making use of the ensuing free kicks.
“Just throwing tackles back isn’t going to help us,” Maglione said. “We were just going to take the fouls and use them to get balls in, but we just couldn’t get on the end of one.”
In the final minutes, Binghamton punished Lafayette’s lack of bite from set pieces and found an 84th-minute winner after a scramble from a corner kick. The goal marked the third time in five games the Leopards have conceded a late goal, something that Liebich attributed to mental fatigue.
“People get tired and they’re not as mentally switched on,” Liebich said. “We keep making an emphasis that the last 15 minutes is the most important 15 minutes and we’ve got to learn how to finish.”
Despite the trend, Maglione still firmly trusts the team’s ability to play a complete game.
“I think we can all go 90 [minutes],” Maglione said. “We’ve gotten unlucky on a few, with closing out games and our focus. For us, it’s just about our mental capacity.”
The team starts Patriot League play away at Colgate (2-2-1 overall) on Saturday. After reaching the conference final last season, Liebich said they will need to get out to a strong start to reach those heights again.
“Everyone knows that no matter where you are in the season, every Patriot League game is a huge one and you need to fight for every point,” Liebich said. “You could lose one game and it could be the difference between making or missing the playoffs. We’ve got to come ready Saturday and be ready to get three points on the road.”
