The men’s soccer team found its way into the Patriot League win column, defeating American University 1-0 on Saturday at Gummeson Grounds.
Although both teams got off to a slow start and had to warm up to the pitch, there was no shortage of hustle from the Leopards (1-1-2 Patriot League, 4-5-3 overall).
“Every game is different,” senior goalkeeper Eric Axtman said. “While the first half was a bit slower, it was really due to how the game was being played from both sides.”
The Eagles (3-1 Patriot League, 4-6-1 overall) kicked off the action in the ninth minute after booting a ball sky-high towards the goal. Axtman retained control of the net after the Eagles attempted to rebound a Leopard header, making the easy save.
Sophomore midfielder James Melnick got the best look for the Leopards’ first-half offense, firing off a powerful shot from 30 yards out that challenged American’s goalkeeper. Although the Eagles controlled possession throughout the first frame, the Leopards’ defense held tight to bring a scoreless game into the locker room.
Just 17 seconds into the second half, sophomore forward Riley Martin sank a powerful strike into the net after a series of pinball passes from freshman forward Nicholas Papadopoulos, who snagged the ball out of an intense scrum. The goal was Martin’s first of the season.
“After half, we were very positive and knew we could definitely score on them,” Martin said. “It felt really good to push the team early in the second half and give us a lead.”
Martin added that “the boys as a group were very dialed and focused,” as the Leopards fired off seven more shots in the second half. The best chance came in the 68th minute, as junior midfielder Samir Dishnica received a pass in the penalty area but sailed the attempt over the crossbar.
The Maroon and White kept up their defense in the second half, shutting down the Eagles’ attack while managing the clock. With the Leopards limiting the Eagles’ offensive action, Axtman was only called into action once, fending off a missile on a penalty kick.
“We continued to get pressure from our offense as well, which was great,” Axtman said. “The best defense is, most of the time, good offense.”
American struggled to defend against a motivated Leopard offense, and the visitors failed to convert in the second half as the hosts cruised to a 1-0 victory.
“The team has been locking it down defensively for the entire season so far, so it wasn’t anything out of the ordinary for us to keep up our solid defense even though we were up,” Axtman said.
The Leopards will continue their stretch of conference play on Saturday as they travel to Loyola Maryland University (1-3 Patriot League, 2-8-1 overall).
“Pushing for a win was needed, especially going into the final stretch of league play,” Martin said.
