For the second straight year against Lafayette, Alassane Kane tallied a game-winner in extra time which lifted the American University men's soccer team to a 1-0 overtime triumph Saturday afternoon at Reeves Field. The victory pushes the Eagles' Patriot League record to a perfect 4-0 as they open up a five-point lead in the standings over Lafayette, Lehigh, and Colgate.

The sequence on Kane's goal, which came in the 92nd minute, began on a clearance from Chris Kuramoto as he pushed the ball across midfield. He fed a pass to Marco Dej, who crossed it ahead to Seth Goldman, and he found Kane on the far side in open space. After gathering Goldman's pass, Kane fired a shot from 15 yards that beat Leopards goalkeeper Graham Heydt to his left.

Both teams had their scoring chances throughout the match, but neither side was able to find the back of the net during regulation. For Lafayette (6-3-3, 2-1-1 PL), its best opportunity came in the 33rd minute when Peter Adubato's header from close range was deflected wide on a diving play by AU goalkeeper Billy Knutsen. American (6-8-1, 4-0-0 PL) also had its chances, most notably a Kane shot in the 58th minute that hit the crossbar.

The Eagles held a 17-8 advantage in shots and fired eight shots on goal compared to three for the Leopards. AU also generated a seven corner kicks while Lafayette earned two.

Knutsen, meanwhile, was solid between the pipes for American as he registered three saves on the afternoon. The sophomore goalkeeper earned his second shutout of the season and lowered his goals against average to 0.57 on the campaign.

For Kane, the score was his team-leading sixth of the season and third game-winner of the campaign. He also tallied the game-winner against Lafayette last season in AU's 2-1 double overtime victory in Easton.

American will have the next week off until they resume Patriot League play at Navy on Saturday, October 22. The action will get underway from Annapolis at 8 p.m.