Nov. 5, 2005

Box Score

WASHINGTON - The American University men's soccer team put together a dominating performance in a 3-0 win over Army Saturday at Reeves Field to capture the 2005 Patriot League Regular Season title and earn the right to host the PL Championship Tournament next weekend.

American left little doubt about the victor in this game, scoring once in the first period and then putting the Black Knights away with two second-half goals. The regular season PL title is the second for the Eagles in their fifth year in the Patriot League.

After going without a goal in seven straight contests, junior midfielder Garth Juckem (Tampa, Fla./Tampa Jesuit) got off the schnide in a big way. In the 41st minute, Juckem took a free kick and blasted a hooking liner around a wall of defenders that tipped Army goaltender John-Michael Gallogly's hands and went in the bottom left corner.

The Eagles took the 1-0 lead into halftime, but weren't comfortable. To that point, the teams had played fairly even, with each AU and Army firing five shots. However, the American men stepped up their aggressiveness in the second stanza, outshooting the visitors, 14-2 in the period.

With the increased shooting output came increased scoring. Juckem registered his first multi-goal game this season when he buried a nifty header into the back of the net in the 61st minute. On the play, junior Larry Mark (Beltsville, Md./DeMatha Catholic) found senior Coco Del Rio (Springfield, Va./Yorktown) in the box on a crossing pass. Del Rio tipped the ball up to himself, but his shot attempt went awry, bouncing toward the left side of the net. Juckem tracked down the ball and put a diving header on it to collect the tally and give the Eagles a 2-0 lead.

American removed all doubt in the 75th minute when Sal Caccavale (West Islip, N.Y./West Islip) played a beautiful ball into the box to lead a streaking Mark. Mark coolly collected the pass, split two defenders and fired a shot low under the arms of Army backup goalie Andrew Filauro.

The Eagles defense also shined. AU goaltender Chris Sedlak (Valrico, Fla./Bloomingdale) picked up his second shutout of the season, making two saves.

Before the game, American honored its two seniors, Gordon Templeman (Virginia Beach, Va./First Colonial) and Del Rio with a ceremony at midfield. The pair have a chance to become the second straight graduating class that has made it to three NCAA Tournaments.

But first, the Eagles must win the Patriot League Tournament, which they will host. Seeding and game times are yet to be determined. Check back at PatriotLeague.com for updated schedules.