This week, Colgate Men’s Soccer played two games: one against Patriot League rival Bucknell and the other in their final non-conference game against Dartmouth. After failing to score on Dartmouth, the Raiders won in dramatic fashion against Bucknell on Saturday afternoon.

Colgate got off to a quick start against Dartmouth when it had a chance on goal in the 15th minute of the game. The chance started when Dartmouth fouled first-year Ethan Kulter, giving him a free kick. The kick was redirected off the head of first-year Zach Tamen but failed to make it to the Big Green net and was subsequently cleared.

Five minutes later the Big Green was able to find its first chance on goal. Stefan Defregger was able to wiggle past several Colgate defenders and found himself with an opportunity just outside the 18 yard box. Defegger took a hard shot, but it sailed wide of the goal.

In the final minutes before half, Dartmouth had another excellent chance to score on goal. The Big Green sent the ball into the 18, where it bounced on the ground for a while before they sent the ball careening towards the net. Fortunately for the Raiders, first-year goalie Ricky Brown was able to come up with a fantastic save to keep the game tied.

Both teams headed into halftime eager to find the game’s first goal. Dartmouth hit the ground running in the beginning of the second half when it sent a well-struck cross into the middle of the Raider box. The Big Green sent the ball towards net, but it was stopped by a diving forward in sophomore Tyler Forbes, who managed to stop the ball with his body to save the goal.

With 33 mintues left in the game, Colgate found itself on a fast break. Senior co-captain Nick Arpey sent the ball to Kutler, who redirected it to junior forward Tanner Schilling. Schilling was able to find some room on the right sideline and take it far into the Dartmouth zone, where he sent a cross to the back of the box. First-year forward Geinda Smith one-timed the pass on net but sent it over the crossbar. In the 72nd minute of the game, Dartmouth had an excellent chance on goal. The play started when Defregger played the ball to teammate Colin Heffron inside the 18. Heffron then fired a shot on goal past the arms of Brown, which gave Big Green a 1-0 lead.

The Raiders had one final opportunity with 15 minutes left when Schilling took a pass from Arpey but sent the ball just wide of the goal. In the closing minutes of the game, Dartmouth remained strong on defense and did not give the Raiders another opportunity. Colgate’s second game of the weekend was played in Lewisburg, Penn. against Bucknell. The opening 40 minutes of the game were relatively dull, with zero goals scored and few legitimate scoring chances.

The first chance of the game came in the 40th minute when Schilling fired a ball off the crossbar. Just a few minutes later, first-year Zach Pagani took a chance on net but failed to send the ball past Bucknell’s Mike Lansing. The game was scoreless heading into the half. The opening minutes of the second half saw Bucknell with an opportunity to score. Jesse Klug saw an opening between some Raider defensemen and fired a shot on goal. The Raiders reacted quickly and were able to come up with a block.

Colgate’s first goal of the game came in the 59th minute when Arpey sent a ball to an open Kutler, who then sent a finesse shot past Lansing, which gave the Raiders a 1-0 lead. Less than a minute later, the Bison tied the game at one. Brown was able to come up with an initial stop but failed to clear the ball out of the zone. Bucknell’s Klug took advantage of the rebound and sent the loose ball to the back of the net.

The Raiders responded well to the Bison goal and kept up a ferocious offensive press. In the game’s final minutes, Schilling was able to break free from Bucknell’s defenders. He stole the ball from an unsuspecting player and headed down the left sideline. Schilling made a few fakes before he found an opening and sent the ball to the back of the net to give the Raiders a 2-1 lead. This was a much needed victory for the Raiders who moved to 3-11-2 on the year with a 2-3-1 record in league play. “We battled and earned three important points,” Coach Erik Ronning said about the victory against the Bison. “It is hard to win on the road in this league, and all the credit goes to the players, we kept battling and believing.” The Raiders look to keep up the momentum against Lehigh on Saturday, November 2 on Van Doren Field.

 Contact JP Letourneau at [email protected].