Oct. 9, 2010
Box Score
EASTON, Pa. - The Lafayette men's soccer kept American's Alassane Kane - the Patriot League's leading goal-scorer - at bay for 100 minutes of a windy Saturday evening at Mike Bourger '44 Field at Oaks Stadium. Kane broke through in the 101st minute, however, netting the game-winner to give the visiting Eagles a 2-1 league victory. Blake Fink scored the Leopards' lone goal.
With the loss, Lafayette falls to 5-4-2 overall and 1-2 in the Patriot League. American moves to 6-5 overall with a perfect 3-0 mark in league action.
In a very balanced match, the Leopards outshot their opponents by an 18-11 margin, but American earned 10 corner kicks to Lafayette's three.
Senior goalkeeper Andrew Pianko made three saves in addition to a number of strong challenges in the contest - though one of those challenges allowed the Eagles' first goal to slip past him. Pianko left the net to challenge a well-struck free kick from Jamie Davin, but the strike found the head of Seth Goldman before the Lafayette keeper could reel it in. The header found the back of the net in the 49th minute to give American a 1-0 lead.
The Leopards' equalizer came in the 67th minute, as senior Sam Feldbaum flicked a ball to Fink, who beat the lone American defender and keeper Matt Makowski at the 66:25 mark to knot the match at 1-1. The goal was the second on the year for Fink, while the assist was also Feldbaum's second of 2010.
Thanks in large part to a defensive save by senior B.J. Glenn in the 87th minute, the score remained deadlocked through the end of regulation and the first overtime period.
The second and final `golden goal' frame was just 39 seconds old when Ryan Morales found Kane in the corner. Kane made a tremendous individual effort to beat two defenders as well as Pianko and bury the game-winning tally.
Pianko has now allowed two goals in just two of his 10 appearances. In both matches, the opponent needed overtime to beat Pianko more than once.
Lafayette was not without its chances to score a second tally, as Glenn and Fink each put two shots on net that beat every player wearing a red kit except for Makowski. In total, the Eagles' keeper made six saves in goal for the Eagles.
The Leopards return to the pitch on Tuesday, Oct. 12 to host non-league opponent Princeton (5-3-1) and then head to Hamilton, N.Y. to resume Patriot League action at No. 24 Colgate on Saturday, Oct. 16. Both matches are slated to begin at 7 p.m.
