The men’s soccer team made the most out of its sixth-seeded Patriot League Tournament bid, defeating three-seeded Army 1-0 on Saturday before stunning top-seeded American University in a 3-2 overtime upset on Tuesday. The wins guarantee the Leopards their first Patriot League Championship appearance since 2021.
Freshman midfielder Oliver Gordon was the savior of the day for the Leopards (3-2-4 Patriot League, 8-6-6 overall) in their quarterfinals matchup against the Black Knights (5-3-1 Patriot League, 7-6-5 overall), breaking through in the 85th minute with the game-winner off a sharp assist from sophomore forward Riley Martin.
“It was a pretty even game, not too many chances for either team, definitely a defensive battle,” Gordon said. “It honestly looked like it was gonna go to penalties up until the very end.”
Gordon entered the match with about six minutes remaining in regulation, making his first appearance of the game. Less than a minute later, he scored the decisive goal with his left foot.
“I was surprised and shocked in the moment, but then I remembered there were still five minutes left and we had to finish the game,” Gordon said.
Senior and All-Patriot League Second Team goalkeeper Eric Axtman recorded three saves in the final six minutes to shut out Army and preserve the lead.
“Army beat us in the regular season pretty badly,” Gordon said, referring to the Leopards’ 2-0 defeat on Senior Day. “It was probably one of our worst performances, so we were happy to redeem ourselves.”
The victory propelled them into the Patriot League semifinals, facing a rigid opponent in one-seeded American (7-1-1 Patriot League, 8-8-2 overall). Like Saturday’s game, the first half was rendered scoreless, despite the Eagles outshooting the Leopards 13-4. Axtman collected five saves in the first half to deter American at the cold and windy Reeves Field.
After the Maroon and White defense denied pressure from the Eagles, sophomore defender Joseph Lee picked up his first collegiate goal in the 67th minute. Senior defender Nicholas Liebich speared a header off a free kick from junior midfielder Samir Dishnica, which Lee calmly converted.
“They had the upper hand at the start, but we picked it up at the end when it really counted,” Lee said.
Less than a minute later, the Maroon and White doubled their lead after forcing an American turnover. Dischnica received an assist from freshman forward Nicolas Papadopoulos, who beat the goalie at the rear post to make it a 2-0 game.
The Leopards’ momentum was challenged after a red card forced them to play shorthanded. American capitalized twice in the last four minutes of regulation, converting two penalty kicks to even the score at 2-2 and send the match into overtime.
It took less than two minutes into the extra period for the Leopards to punch their ticket to the big game. Liebich fought for position to receive Axtman’s free kick and was fouled by a defending Eagle. Dishnica was set up with the ensuing penalty kick and squeezed the ball in the cage for his second goal on the day and the match clincher.
The Leopards will have to trot to rival territory for the Patriot League title on Saturday, facing off against two-seeded host Lehigh University (5-1-3 Patriot League, 9-5-5 overall).
“It’s a must-win game,” Lee said. “One that’ll create a memory that lasts a lifetime.”