WEST POINT, N.Y. – Lafayette men's soccer took down No. 3 seed Army in the first round of the Patriot League Tournament on Saturday at Malek Stadium at Clinton Field. Freshman midfielder Oliver Gordon scored the match winner in the 85^th minute off an assist by sophomore forward Riley Martin.

The first half of play allowed both sides to gain a feel of how one another intended on approaching the matchup. Army had a few larger spells of possession in the opening 20 minutes, but head coach Dennis Bohn's team found its footing and settled in.

A methodical first half didn't generate too many clear-cut offensive opportunities for either side and after 45 minutes the match stood still at 0-0.

The final 45 minutes of play were exactly what spectators were hoping for. The Black Knights hit the post in the first five minutes of the period. Riley Cullum skated by a few defenders and got to the end line, but his powerful strike rattled the woodwork and trickled out of bounds.

The Leopards put together a quick counter attack in the 53^rd minute, through junior Samir Dishnica and Martin. The two worked together down the left flank, but as the ball found its way back to Dishnica, the Cheshire, Conn. native's shot blazed over the crossbar. Nonetheless, Lafayette was inching closer to finding the winner.

Army nearly opened the scoring in the 81^st minute. Lafayette had a corner kick, but the chance fizzled out due to quality defending by the Black Knights. They immediately began to break on the counter and Kasem Minzey was squaring up his defender just outside the box. The defender struggled to beat his man and laid the ball off to Jack De Simone on the right flank. His service pinballed around in the penalty area, prior to falling kindly to Justin Davidyock. The midfielder rifled a left-footed shot, but it ricocheted off the post and went out for a goal kick.

Each side generated quality offensive opportunities as time wore on, but Gordon being subbed on in the 84^th minute changed the game. The Brooklyn, N.Y. native was on the pitch for 55 seconds before he broke the deadlock for Lafayette.

Army had a throw in, but the Maroon and White were quick to win the ball back. Freshman Tommy Clark eventually played a ball in behind the hosts' back line and Martin was in hot pursuit. After muscling off his defender and sprinting towards the penalty area, the Economics major made a clever pass towards the top of the box. Gordon was in perfect position and his first-time hit perfectly nestled into the top-left corner, leaving Army goalkeeper Michael Guiry no chance.

With Saturday's victory, Lafayette now advances to the Patriot League Semifinal on Tuesday, Nov. 11. Bohn and his squad will travel to Washington D.C. early next week in preparation for a noon kickoff at No. 1 seeded American.

 
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