Mens Soccer
Season Preview
The stage has been set for a very tough challenge for Colgate and its 16 season head coach, Mike Doherty. At stake, is Colgate's streak of 9 consecutive Patriot League appearances. Colgate went 2-2-2 in the league last year to secure one of the final spots. The Red Raider's did finish strong, and showed improvement throughout the year. The deck is even more stacked against them with the loss of 6 starters and most of the teams stars. The strongest returnung players are...Coyler Curtis on defense, midfield senior, Josh Viel, Marc Hubbard is also at midfield. Senior Brendan Skonieczki was the scoring leader for Colgate last year, he will be returning to lead the offense. Conor Harrison is also a player to look for on offense.
With so many losses, Colgate will need to turn to it's freshman. Looking for the starting spot in goal will be three excellent freshman. Any one of them should be able to fill the void left by the surprise loss of both our goalies from last season. I would not be surprised to see all state Mass goalie, Jon Brunell fill this position most of the time. The defense is seen to be our biggest weakness next season. With three new freshman to add depth to these positions, we should rebuild nicely and they might even make an impact this season. The midfield will be very stable, so we might not see any of teh freshman get significant playing time here. There should be room for one or two of the newcomers to step right in on offense and add something to our attack, the most likely candidate for this is Jimmy Ventriglia.
Colgate has a tough schedule this year. The Navy game is early in the season, and Colgate needs to make a showing against the Midshipmen, who have been selected to finish first in the league by the coaches poll. Tough non league games should give valuble experience to the teams younger players. Colgate was picked to finish 6th. Reaching up to 4th place is possible with a good contributing from our freshman, and if several other players step up thier game a little bit. Colgate will have an expereinced and successful coach guiding them. This is a rebuilding year, but Colgate hopes to play competivly in all it's games.
September 2nd - Vs Philadelphia
@ Rider University Tournament
Game Preview
Philly is going to look to it's experienced defense to help them win games this year. They have a top defenseive crew returning, along with a very good goalkeeper. In addition to strong defensive skills, this group possesses a good amount of power and will sparkplug the offense. They went 8-10-2 last year.
Results
Colgate's weakness on defense was definitly exposed, as they gave up 6 goals in the opener. The game was even for the first 18 minutes, with good play by both sides. This is when Philly scored first on feshman goaltender, Will Martin. Philly would score a couple of more times, and the score is 6-0. Colgate gets credit for not giving up, they scored twice when they had 6 against them. Not the opening Colgate was hoping for, but young teams take time to gel. 6-2 Philadelphia.
September 3rd - Vs Northeastern
@ Rider University Tournament
Game Preview and Pregame
Kinda hard to know what to tell you about this one when I never got my media guide and the schools webbrowser has decided to not let me visit any websites about thier school, or any sites pertaining to college soccer, good luck guys..
Results
Colgate jumped out to an early lead in the first half. The Red Raider's maintained a 2-1 lead for a while. But they could not hold out agaisnt the Northeastern offense all game. Colgate was outshot 22-8, and eventually outscored 3-2.
September 6th - At Navy
Game Preview
Navy has the deck stacked against Colgate for the first League game of the year. The Midshipmen took second in the league last year, and have been picked to finish first this year as they are returing both the leagues offensive, and defensive players of the year.
Pre game
Navy will take the field with a 1-0-1 record. They opened up with a 5-0 win over LIU, and then tied Davidson at thier invintational.
Results
Colgate's first league game was not much of a dissapointment, despite the loss. Navy wasn't playing thier best game in the first half, and Colgate was keeping the pressure on, but failed to capitalize until the second half with a header to the back of the net. Navy responded, and picked up thier game, and evened things up with just under ten minutes left. It was not until there were about 40 seconds left, that Navy would score the winning goal. Colgate held out as long as they could. And ended with a 2-1 loss against Navy.
September 9th - Binghamton
Game Preview
Binghamton has taken another step towards becoming a full D-1 member for mens soccer. This year they have entered a D-1 conference. Last years season had mixed success. The only common opponent, both teams beat 2-1. The Bear Cats have lost the majority of last years starters.
Pre Game
Binghamton comes into this game with a 1-1-1 record. They have given up 0, 3 and 5 goals, while scoring 0, 4 and 1 goals.
Results
A quick attack made all the difference. Colgate stepped it up a notch with a winless season so far and the bleachers full fo fans for tonights home opener. Colgate's offense was high powered, with goals coming off both the freshman, and some of the more established players. This was a fun one, 6-2 Colgate.
September 15th - St. Peter's
Game Preview and Pregame
Last seasons game was the first meeting for these two teams, and it ended in a 0-0 tie. Colgate will try it's luck again, with the Peacocks losing 6 starters.
Results
The Red Raider's put together a complete game. The defense was everything it needed to be, allowing just 3 shots all game, and controling the tempo. Viel and Skonieczki put together most of the offense, combining for 3 goals. The Red Raider's draw first blood, 4-1.
September 16th - Towson
Game Preview
Towson is coming off a good season where they went 11-4-4. They have only lost 2 starters heading into the first meeting for these two teams in the final game of the Red Raider Classic.
Pregame
After several low scoring games, the Tigers have come to life, scoring 4 and 3 goals in thier past 2 wins. They are also averaging less than 1 goal a game against.
Results
The game is in the books, and might also very well recieve a Golden Gates game of the year nomination. The teams took turns scoring, with Towson taking a lead, then Colgate catching up, all the way up until Colgate tied the game for the final time, with just under a minute left in regulation. The game would go on for 2 overtime periods, until Josh Viel beat the goaie in the 116th minute of the game. Colgate took 23 shots on the night, Towson had 23. This was teh sort of game where everyone on the team played at 100%, they made mistakes, but kept fighting hard to make up for them. The Red Raider's win! 4-3
September 20th - St. Bonaventure
Game Preview
St. Bonaventure fought to a 10-10 season last year. This was a banner year for the team, and they hope to improve even more this season. A little over half of their starters are returning. They are losing thier major offensive contributers however. If they can find people to fill the gaps, they could catch up to Colgate in their series record.
Pregame
The Bonnies ahve been facing some tough teams this year, and they have been losing to them. They are currently 1-5, averaging about a goal a game, while thier oponents average about 3. The game is at Van Doren field at 7 for anyone who hasn't expereinced a game there yet.
Results
Colgate started and finished strong, it was the time in the middle that cost Colgate the game. Colgate applied early pressure, which led to our first goal. After that the team relaxed a little, and mistakes were capitalized on. The Bonnies worked the lead up to 4-1 when Colgate made a comeback in the final ten minutes of play, pulling within 1. Colgate's passing game looked excellent. We just had a few too many lapses to lose 4-3.
September 23rd - At Bucknell
Game Preview
Who can forget last years game? It's family weekend, the stands are overflowing with Colgate fans. An exciting game goes to overtime, when Colgate puts the ball in the net, game over. Right? Wrong. A controvertial call, and the game resumes, with Bucknell eventually getting an overtime win. Bucknell returns 7 starters. They finished 6th in the league last year, and have been voted to move up to 5th.
Pregame
Bucknell hasn't proven much yet. They are averaging less than a goal a game, while allowing 2 per game on average. They have yet to score in the first half and have had a fair amount of penalties. Most recently, they won thier first league game, by beating Holy Cross in overtime.
Results
The Bison got thier scoring done early, scoring thier last goal seconds after the start of the first half. The Red Raider's tried to get some offense going, but did not have a goal scorer who could make things happen. We had the chances, we had more than enough shots, just no goals as Colgate drops their second league game 3-0.
September 26th - Cornell
Reuslts
Both teams traded goals early, then settled in for the long haul. Cornell made more mistakes, but the Red Raider's were once again unable to capitalize. With about 20 minutes left, the same Cornell player scored twice minutes apart to give Colgate it's third loss in a row 3-1.
September 30th - Lehigh
Game Preview and pregame
Lehigh lost thier first league contest to Navy 1-0. Thier overall record is 4-2-1 and they have the second best defense in the league. Last years game was a scoreless tie and Lehigh lost 4 starters. They were picked to finish 4th in the league. This game is necissary for our chances of making the post season tournament. We have two losses already in the league, last season only 1 team with a record under .500 made post season play.
Reuslts
Colgate could not hold the lead in a very physical game at Van Doren Field. Harrison scored early, to put us up 1-0. For the rest of the first half, Lehigh battled back, but Colgate was able to hold them off, and get a little pressure of their own. Both teams shot a lot more in the second half, and the game went back and forth and got very physical. Both teams were working hard, but with about 15 minutes left, Colgate made a bizarre defensive mistake that led to a Lehigh goal. From that point on, both teams tried to pound the ball into the net for the game winner, the style of play was also taking it's toll on both sides with injuries and players getting hurt on the field. As the game went through two overtime periods, Colgate began to get the better shots. In the second OT, the Red Raider's outshot Lehigh 10-1, but nothing came of it, and the game ended in a 1-1 tie. This places Colgate at 6th in the league. We need to finish in the top 4 to make the league tournament, it is still possible, but we need to win the final league games.
October 4th - At Albany
Game Preview and pregame
Colgate gets a break from conference play . Last years Albany squad was 6-11-1, including an overtime loss to Colgate. Albany is 4-3-2 going into this game. They likewise tied Lehigh 1-1. They defeated St. Peter's 4-2. This will be a close game, but Colgate can use it to gain some momentum back..
Results
Albany took a quick 2-0 lead and Colgate was never able to catch up. The Red Raider's had the opportunities, but were unable to capitalize and the defense was unable to hold off Albany. Colgate mounted a final comeback, pulling within 1 with 6 minutes left, but Albany scored 2 minutes later to end the game a 5-3.
October 7th - Holy Cross
Game Preview and pregame
Colgate is now in a must win situation. Holy Cross won the leagues regular season last year, and was picked to finish second this season. They have only returned 3 starters, two of them earning spots on one of the all league teams. They have been struggling early in the season, going 4-6 coming into the game, including a 1-2 league record. They recently beat Lehigh, but have lost to Bucknell and Navy, all close games. A loss will make finishing in the top 4 very difficult...
Results
For the second time in a row, an own goal has lead to the downfall of the Red Raiders. Brendan Skonieczki scored early off a nice play to put Colgate in the lead. The game was very evenly matched, and Colgate clung to the lead until there were just 11 minutes left in the game. Then, within one minute, the lead dissapeared, then was Holy Crosses. A evenly matched soccer game is like a staring contest, you can't blink even once. Thats what Colgate did when the defense broke down. The Red Raider have a very outside cahnce of making the tournament, but they need to win every game, and need some help from other teams. As it currently stands, we are at the bottom of the league.
October 11th - At Hartwick
Game Preview and Pregame
The Hawks have traditionaly been one of our biggest non league rivals. They hold a commanding series lead, winning the last 13 games of that seriesm including an overtime thriller last year. They lost three starters since last year. They are 6-5-1 going into this game, including the following results over common opponents..a 5-1 win over Binghamton and a 1-1 tie at Albany. A week before the game, they were ranked 6th in New York, Colgate is unranked, but could be with a win here, ending thier winning streak would be nice too. This is going to be a good game....
Results
Toughness takes the game and snaps Hartwicks 15 game unbeaten streak against us! Brendan Skonieczki scored for Colgate 5 minutes into the second period. The Red Raider's were on the defensive all night, taking just three shots compared to the Hawks 15. The Hartwick goalie would make no saves. Colgate also dug itself a hole by commiting 6 times as many fouls. The one goal was all we needed, and Colgate wins 1-0 on the road.
October 14th - At Adelphi
Game Preview
This is another game I want to see, we are resuming our series with them after a 3 year hiatus. The Panthers have lost three starters since last years 8-9 season. They will be another good NY game.
Pre Game
Adelphi is currently ranked second in NY and 21st in the nation. Most recently they shut out Oneonta to earn their ranking, before falling to Syracuse 5-1. This one will be tough, but Colgate has a lot to win. ...
Results
Sometimes the difference between winning and losing can be so close, that little things can seem to make the difference. Colgate took 5 yellow cards, and one red card. Adelphi scored three times, all by the same person, the first goal was on a direct kick from just outside the box. The second goal was very controversial. The ball hit the crossbar and bounced straight down. It's almost impossible that the ball ever crossed the goalline. Colgate send the game to overtime with just under a minute remaining after an Adelphi mistake. The game continued until the second overtime, when a shot richocheted off a Colgate players hand in the box, intentional or not, a penalty kick was awarded, and the game was ended off a successful attempt. They steal a wild one from Colgate, 2-3.
October 21st - At Oneonta
Game Preview and pregame
The Red Dragons will be one of the toughest opponents on the schedule this year. Last year Colgate won the encounter 2-1, but Oneonta returns all but one starter to this years roster. At the time of this game, the Red Dragons are 9-4-1 with wins over Albany, Layayette, and Philadelphia. They have lost to Adelphi and Hartwick. As of the most recent poll, they are ranked 4th in NY state, while Colgate is unranked.
Results
With two starters out, Colgate put on a fine defensive struggle to take the game to nearly 2 hours. Both teams had chances throughout the game, but Colgate just could not find the net, but the Red Raider defenders and goalkeeper did a great job at holding off against the Red Dragons. The game went into overtime, then double overtime. Finally, with just about 4 minutes left, Josh Viel scored yet again on a direct kick to propel Colgate to a dramatic 1-0 win.
October 25th - Syracuse
Game Preview
It's the last non conference game of the season, and the fourth in a series of New York opponents. Last year Syracuse battled to the Big East semi finals, anda 6th place regular season finish. 4 of the starters from last season have graduated. Colgate won the last meeting in 1998, in a 2-1 overtime victory.
Pre Game
This will be the toughest of the New York challenges, they are second in the state. They have beaten Adelphi, Cornell and Army. They are somewhat of a second half team, if not in shots, at least in goals. Winning this game should give us a shot at a ranking. Syracuse is also ranked 20th in the nation.
Results
Back and forth, back and forth! Neither team was willing to back down tonight. The Red Raiders struck first, but Syracuse answered about a minute later. Colgate battled back to score again and make it 2-1. Syracuse again tied it up in a matter of seconds. Great defense by Colgate kept them in the game. Jon Brunell started in goal, but was forced out at halftime with a sore ankle, enter Will Martin to play a tough second period. And for the third time in a row, Colgate was going to overtime! About ten minutes in, Colgate came up with the game winning shot off the foot of Michael Henes. Colgate extends its streak over the Orangemen with this exciting upset.
October 28th - Lafayette
Results
The Leopards held the top spot in the league coming into tonights matchup. They were fighting for the right to host the post season tournament, while Colgate was just hoping to be able to keep their chances at going alive. And you know, I do not feel bad at all about playing spoiler here, because Lafayette was way over confident and showed no respect to Colgate. They had thier best player get a yellow card 1 second into the game so he could miss this game and the next due to accumulated cards and not have to worry about missing the tournament. The team also follwed suit in this over confidence, but they found themselves behind 2-0 before they realized what was happening. The Red Raider's on the other hand, played a great game, we were beating them to the balls, we were working together with good passes, and just controlling the pace of the game in general. Brendan Skonieczki and Tim Gerges scored both of Colgate's goals. As time wound down, Lafayette got disgustingly desparate. One player even tried to block a free throw attempt like he was playing basketball. This action nearly led to a fight. The Lafayette coach though he was in a basketball game as well. As the time slipped away, he took to putting in a sub every single chance he got, then, the instant he would put in a sub, they would all start screaming at the clock operator to make sure they had every possible tenth of a second to try to crawl back into the game. They would score once, and even twice, but that was called back, because the player was offsides, such a shame. Colgate pulls off a second upset in a row, 2-1. The playoffs remain a possibility, but we need help from other teams to get there.
November 3rd - At Army
Game Preview
Colgate must win to keep any hopes of a post season alive, since the rankings don't seem to be forthcoming. The Red Raiders will need to beat preseason number 7 pick, Army. Army had 1 PL second team selection last season, and was last in the league in goals. The Red Raiders took the last meeting 3-1. They have had a mixed season though, they thumped Lafayette, who was probally underestimating them as well, and they streched Syracuse into overtime. They also faced severe losses against both Cornell and Hartwick. This is it really. If Colgate doesn't play a good game, they don't deserve to make the playoffs, but if they look like they have in recent games, I think they could have a good shot at the league title if they make the tournament.
Results
Once again, Colgate failed to get the critical breaks it needed. After a tough first half, Army scored with just seconds remaining. Tim Gerges evened the score at the begning of the second, and battled from there. Army seemed to have the advantage in stanima and that showed later on in this low offense affair. Brunell was forced out of the game after a collision with an opposing foward. Will Martin would be forced to go in on short notice, and let in the first shot he faced before he could warm up. That goal proved to be the difference maker. Both teams combined took just 14 shots, and Army ends Colgate's season with a 2-1 loss.
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