Men’s soccer suffered a tough loss this past Saturday when they journeyed to Baltimore, Md. to take on conference opponent, Loyola. The Greyhounds came away with a 1-0 win in what proved to be one of Colgate’s most physical matches to date this season. The Greyhounds were dealt out three yellow cards throughout the contest, but it was a simple foul committed by the Raiders that was the

deciding factor.

“We are playing for a championship in every league game which brings out the best in both our team and the opponent,” first-year Chase Pagani said of the intensity of the team’s Patriot League matchups so far.

The foul occurred just outside of the Raiders’ box, setting up a great opportunity for Loyola forward Connor Thompson to create something for his team in the 55th minute. The senior opted to take a shot off of the free kick and was successful in curling a beauty around the Colgate wall and past sophomore goalkeeper Ricky Brown.

“Ricky did a great job in net, making some big saves in the first half and late in the game to keep us in the match,” Pagani said of Brown, crediting him with keeping the

Raiders in the game.

The score may suggest a dull game, but there were plenty of opportunities for both teams. First-year midfielder Troy Moo Penn had a couple opportunities to net his first collegiate goal, but the outstanding goalkeeping by Greyhound goalie Matt Sanchez denied his deserving shots. Team scoring leader, sophomore forward Ethan Kutler, also unleashed a flurry of shots against the sophomore goalkeeper but was unable to convert.

It has been difficult this year for the Raiders to generate offense in the air, mostly due to a lack of size among the team’s forwards. Most of the set plays have targeted sophomore defender Zach Tamen, whereas past years have featured a taller team all-around. While this lack of size may limit the Raiders offensive options, it actually contributes to their offensive success in other areas. Most of the goals this season have come off of nifty combination plays where the quick Raiders forwards have thrived in maneuvering around

cumbersome centerbacks of the other teams.

Patience is always a necessity for offense, but the inability to create opportunities off of crosses means that Pagani is right when he says “patience on the attack” is key for this Raiders team to be successful in creating on the

ground opportunities.

 “We rebound for the game against Army by recovering, eating well and getting good rest as well as working hard in training to fine tune any parts of our game that need help,” Pagani said of how the team hopes to recover for their next matchup.

Colgate’s game scheduled against Syracuse last Tuesday was cancelled due to inclement weather. The Orange tout a very impressive roster that has earned them a No. 4 ranking in national polls.

The Raiders enjoy a two-game homestand when they host Navy on Saturday, October 11, at 4 p.m. and Cornell on Tuesday, October 14, at 7 p.m. While Cornell is not a Patriot League opponent, Pagani assured that “non-conference games are still very important” and that the team is looking to tune up and get back to winning form for these games.