The Colgate men’s soccer team had a full weekend, with two home games. The team faced off against the University of New Hampshire last Friday. It was a frustrating night for the Raiders as they lost 3-0 to the UNH Wildcats. UNH dominated the field for the most part but still couldn’t keep the Raiders from getting off some shots on frame. The final score did not reflect the persistence and the ability of the Colgate team, as the Raiders outshot UNH by a margin of twelve to three. The Wildcats were able to stay ahead throughout the game due to an outstanding performance by UNH senior goalkeeper Nathan Spores. 

UNH got off to a quick start with junior midfielder Juan Velazquez scoring just seven minutes into the game to put the Wildcats ahead. Twelve minutes later, first-year midfielder Jack Dickson doubled the lead. The rest of the half was scoreless, but the Raiders managed to create several opportunities off of set plays. 

The Wildcats scored again just seven minutes into the second half, with a tally from sophomore forward Chris Arling. To add to the Raider frustration, only a minute later senior midfielder Colin O’Neill was issued a yellow card for a hard foul. Although the Colgate men were able to get off a few more shots in the second half, they were unable to find the back of the net, and the game ended in a 3-0 shutout. 

Despite their loss on Friday, the Raiders were able to return on Sunday to defeat St. Francis University 2-0 in a powerful display of dominance on the field. The Raiders out-possessed the SFU team, creating many opportunities for shots throughout the game while also managing to keep the SFU team out of the box for the majority of the game. It took Colgate only a little over two minutes to score the first goal of the match. Senior forward Uyi Omorogbe scored the goal, energizing both the team and the spectators. 

It was a physical game, with three Raiders issued yellow cards in the first half for hard tackles. Junior midfielder Jared Stroud, sophomore defender Aram Ouligian and sophomore forward Abdel Sanogo were issued cards in the first half.

The second half saw the Raiders once again dominating the field and doubling their lead ten minutes into the half on a combination play between Omorogbe and O’Neill. The goal was enough to give the Raiders security in their lead and allowed them to stay poised as they played. SFU let out their frustration on the referees, and a yellow card was issued to senior forward Dominic Ramirez for talking back to the official with only 20 minutes remaining. 

The Raiders now have an overall record of 5-2, with a 3-1 record at home. The team will kick off their conference play on the road against American University on September 24. Their next home game will be against Lehigh on October 1. The Raiders hope to build on their momentum and win these all-so-important Patriot League matchups as they look to position themselves for the postseason.