The men’s soccer team (0-2 Patriot League, 3-4-2 overall) suffered a tough week, losing 2-1 at home to Navy (1-1 Patriot League, 2-4-3 overall) on Saturday before falling 3-1 away at La Salle (2-4-3 overall).
The Leopards entered the match against Navy off the back of a dramatic non-conference home win over Albany last Saturday and were looking to carry on that momentum at Gummeson Grounds. In the 11th minute, they would find the first clear chance of the game. Senior midfielder Carter Houlihan stole the ball off of a Navy player, before feeding it inside the box to senior forward Andrey McIntyre. McIntyre controlled the ball, but the Navy goalkeeper closed the angle before he could shoot.
A consistent stretch of possession and chances for the Leopards ensued, letting them control much of the first half. In the 20th minute, sophomore midfielder Beaux Lizewski raced on to a loose Navy pass and found McIntyre again, who fired his shot off of the near post.
Despite the Maroon and White’s early domination, it was the Midshipmen who struck first after a poor turnover from the Leopards in their defensive half that allowed a Navy forward to latch onto the ball and slot it past senior goalkeeper Griffin Huff.
“We had a lot of shots, a lot of chances and kept the ball up,” Houlihan said. “We had our chances to put them away, but unfortunately, we didn’t.”
The Maroon and White stormed out in the second half just as they had in the first. In the opening minute of the half, senior midfielder Digger Iqbal drove into the Navy penalty area and played a back-heel pass to McIntyre, who then played a second back-heel pass to Houlihan, who dragged his shot wide.
The Leopards would finally find the back of the net in the 72nd minute. Senior forward Lawrence Aydlett cut onto his left foot and fired the ball towards the back post, where sophomore forward Roy Biegon was waiting to tap in with a sliding finish.
While the Maroon and White searched for a winner, they were instead caught in the 83rd minute after another turnover sprung a Navy counterattack, leading to a goal from the top of the box that secured all three points for the Midshipmen. It was an all too familiar story for the Leopards, as it was the fifth time in eight games they had conceded a goal in the last 20 minutes.
“We talk about staying switched on the entire game,” Houlihan said. “The game’s 90 minutes. It’s not 60, or 70 or 80. We do positive things in the first 60, but it’s just about staying locked in. I think that’s the mindset we need moving forward.”
Still without their first Patriot League point, the Leopards traveled to Philadelphia to take on La Salle in a non-conference matchup last Tuesday. After an uneventful opening half hour, the Explorers had the first big chance of the game, with a long-range effort forcing junior goalkeeper Eric Axtman into a full-stretch save. A minute later, La Salle took the lead, tapping home from a low cross through the Leopards’ box.
Things would go from bad to worse for the Leopards in the second half, as La Salle added two more goals to take a 3-0 lead. The first came in the 51st minute when a La Salle forward beat the Maroon and White offside trap and raced one-on-one with Axtman to score. The second came in the 67th minute after a defensive turnover on a back pass from Lafayette allowed a La Salle forward to tap home.
“We’ve got to be better collectively and defend with a bit more pride,” Iqbal said, adding that the team has only had one shutout this season. “It’s something we’ve definitely got to work on.”
Despite Biegon scoring his fourth goal of the season, the Leopards were too far back to catch La Salle, and the match ended 3-1.
“It’s been a hard couple of weeks for the team,” Iqbal said. “Now it’s about having a short memory and focusing on our next biggest game against Army.”
The team will travel to West Point, New York, on Saturday to take on Army, starting what Iqbal says will be a season-defining stretch of conference games.
“In the Patriot League, if you win three games, you’re in the playoffs,” Iqbal said. “If we win our next two, that puts us in a really good position. If we lose, it could be a tough remainder of the season.”
