Photo by Austin Drucker ‘17 | Photographer

It was bound to happen to the Lafayette men’s soccer team sooner or later. As deft as its defense has been at deflecting its opponents’ shots this season, one was going to find its way into the net at a bad time for the Leopards.

And that is exactly what happened at Colgate’s Van Doren Field in Hamilton, NY on Saturday night. One measly goal snuck past goalie Nathan McDonald ‘14, who saved six others in the course of the game. But it was that lone goal that made the difference as the Colgate Raiders (2-7-0 overall, 1-0-0 Patriot League) defeated Lafayette (2-16, 0-1-0) in upset fashion in both teams’ Patriot League opener.

The Leopards had their chances but could not convert them into scores. In the first half, captain Alec Golini ‘14 took a free kick that went over the top of the net. Ryan Egan ‘17 executed a turnaround shot that was hauled in by the Colgate goalkeeper.

Ten minutes into the second half, Raider Evan Heroux ‘15 leaped up to head in a pass to score.

From there, it was complete attack mode for Lafayette. Ryan Dodds ‘15 blasted a long-range shot that went wide. Andrew Gonzalez ‘17 also attempted a shot, which was corralled by the Colgate goalkeeper.

Chances continued as Lafayette had three corners in the last ten minutes of the game, but they were to no avail.

Lafayette was undefeated for the first month of the season, one of the few teams in the NCAA to boast that feat.

Next up for Lafayette is tomorrow’s game against Navy (4-3-2, 1-0 PL) at Oaks Stadium. Navy has defeated Boston University, Virginia Tech, George Washington and Central Connecticut.