Photo by Austin Carey for The Lafayette
Junior defender James Melnick dribbling the ball at Gummeson Grounds.
The men’s soccer team traveled to Colgate University on Saturday, battling to a 1-1 draw in Patriot League action.
Both teams came out strong in the first half, but sophomore goalkeeper Harrison Wolfrom kept the Raiders (0-1-2 Patriot League, 1-5-4 overall) off the scoreboard early. Colgate threatened the Leopards (0-1-2 Patriot League, 1-5-3 overall) in the sixth minute, but Wolfrom came up with a key save and followed it with three more stops during the opening 20 minutes.
The Raiders earned a penalty kick in the 37th minute, but Wolfrom delivered again, diving to deflect the attempt and preserve the scoreless tie. Wolfrom suffered an injury on the save, however, exiting the game with five saves, and sophomore Francisco Benbow substituted in relief.
Just minutes later, the Leopards broke through for the game’s first goal. Senior midfielder Samir Dishnica sent a cross into the box, where sophomore defender Lucas Gardeniers headed it home for the first goal of his collegiate career, giving Lafayette a 1-0 advantage heading into halftime.
“We’ve been working on our defense a lot in the past few weeks, and we were really buying into the game plan,” junior midfielder Cade Maglione said.
After the break, Colgate pushed for an equalizer while the Leopards looked to add to their lead with several scoring opportunities of their own.
For much of the second half, neither side could find the back of the net. However, with just 56 seconds remaining in regulation, Colgate scored the equalizer to level the match at 1-1.
“They just locked us in on a reservice and put a good ball across,” Maglione said. “It was just a little bit of a lack of focus.”
Lafayette was unable to generate another look before the final whistle.
“We defended well for 89 minutes and four seconds,” Maglione said. “We just gotta do it for the full 90, so it was super frustrating.”
Colgate held a 14-7 advantage in shots, though the Raiders managed just two more shots on goal than the Leopards, finishing with seven compared to Lafayette’s five. Benbow finished with one save in relief.
“It’s the best we’ve been playing as a team together over the past few games,” Maglione said.
The Leopards will continue their Patriot League road stretch on Saturday, facing Army West Point (0-2 Patriot League, 1-4-3 overall).
“Everyone’s got a really positive mindset,” Maglione said. “We’re just looking forward to this weekend and taking care of business.”