Oct. 4, 2007

EASTON, Pa. - The Lafayette men's soccer team (6-1-2, 1-0) will look to extend its current win streak to four matches when the Leopards travel to Patriot League rival American (4-4-1, 1-0) on Saturday afternoon for a 1 p.m. game. Lafayette is coming off a 1-0 win over Patriot League rival Lehigh last Saturday in the team's first league match of the season.

The 1-0 defeat of Lehigh was the fifth consecutive shutout recorded by the Leopards and the sixth this fall. Luke Sullivan netted the game's only goal, coming with just over 13 minutes remaining in the opening half. Starting goalie Philip Nelson earned the shutout, his fifth of the season.

Sullivan and Nelson both earned various accolades following their performances last week. Sullivan was named the Patriot League Defensive Player of the Week and also earned a spot on College Soccer News' and Top Drawer Soccer's National Teams of the Week. In addition to his goal against the Mountain Hawks, Sullivan played solid defense, limiting Lehigh to just five shots, including only two in the first half.

Nelson was named Patriot League Goalkeeper of the Week for the second time this season after holding Lehigh without a goal. That shutout came on the heels of a 3-0 shutout of Manhattan on Sept. 25.

This season, Lafayette opponents are averaging only eight shots per game against the Leopards defense and Nelson currently holds a 0.47 goals against average, the ninth-best mark among NCAA D-I men's soccer goalies.

Following Saturday's game, the Leopards, currently ranked second in the NSCAA's Mid-Atlantic Region, take a break from league play when they travel to Penn State on Wednesday, Oct. 10 for a 7 p.m. match.