2008 Woodie Awards
Raider Men's Soccer Can't Close The Door On Opponents
Evan Xenopoulos
Issue date: 9/30/05 Section: Sports
It has been a tough - and busy - stretch for the Raider men's soccer team, as the squad has played four games in eight days. Even though the Colgate men's soccer team saw its five-game unbeaten streak snapped last week, the Raiders showed that they can compete with some of the best teams in the region.
In four games, the Raiders went a disappointing 1-3; however, all four of those games were decided by one goal, and two games even went to overtime.
Despite the tough stretch, head coach Eric Ronning was confident that his team would step up with the added pressure.
The Raiders traveled to Vermont last Wednesday to take on the Catamounts, who had been ranked as high as 19th in the nation earlier in this season. The Raiders went into the game looking for an upset, and they almost pulled one off.
Although the men fell behind early in the second half, the Raiders fought back and scored the equalizer when senior co-captain Sean O'Sullivan scored his first goal of the season off of an assist from junior Charlie Lambropoulos.
The Raiders almost won the game in regulation after a great opportunity from sophomore Eric Anton; however, the game would have to be decided in overtime. In the extra session, the Catamounts capitalized on a corner kick and sent the Raiders to a heartbreaking loss.
"I really think we should have won; we just got really unlucky," O'Sullivan said. "We played really well, and I just hope we can build on this."
Ronning shared the same sentiments.
"It was a tough loss, but I am really happy with how hard our team played," he said. "We went toe to toe with a top-25 team and I am just happy that we can compete with the best. This will really help us get ready for our Patriot League schedule."
The Raiders' record fell to 3-1-2 on the year, but the team knew that it had to regroup for another tough test two days later at home against Buffalo, a team ranked third in New York State.
Buffalo came in with the best record in Division-I at 7-0, but the Raiders were determined to hand the Bulls their first loss. After senior Bryant Meckley scored his first goal of the season to give Colgate the lead, it looked like the Raiders would do just that.
In four games, the Raiders went a disappointing 1-3; however, all four of those games were decided by one goal, and two games even went to overtime.
Despite the tough stretch, head coach Eric Ronning was confident that his team would step up with the added pressure.
The Raiders traveled to Vermont last Wednesday to take on the Catamounts, who had been ranked as high as 19th in the nation earlier in this season. The Raiders went into the game looking for an upset, and they almost pulled one off.
Although the men fell behind early in the second half, the Raiders fought back and scored the equalizer when senior co-captain Sean O'Sullivan scored his first goal of the season off of an assist from junior Charlie Lambropoulos.
The Raiders almost won the game in regulation after a great opportunity from sophomore Eric Anton; however, the game would have to be decided in overtime. In the extra session, the Catamounts capitalized on a corner kick and sent the Raiders to a heartbreaking loss.
"I really think we should have won; we just got really unlucky," O'Sullivan said. "We played really well, and I just hope we can build on this."
Ronning shared the same sentiments.
"It was a tough loss, but I am really happy with how hard our team played," he said. "We went toe to toe with a top-25 team and I am just happy that we can compete with the best. This will really help us get ready for our Patriot League schedule."
The Raiders' record fell to 3-1-2 on the year, but the team knew that it had to regroup for another tough test two days later at home against Buffalo, a team ranked third in New York State.
Buffalo came in with the best record in Division-I at 7-0, but the Raiders were determined to hand the Bulls their first loss. After senior Bryant Meckley scored his first goal of the season to give Colgate the lead, it looked like the Raiders would do just that.