LEWISBURG, Pa. – After finding out their new opponent on Thursday, American University men's soccer traveled to face Bucknell on the road on Saturday evening and fell by one goal to the Bison, 2-1.
 
QUICK NOTABLES

• David Coly scored his first goal in an AU uniform in the first half.
• The junior transfer from Washington cashed in on a penalty kick to tie the game at 1-1. It was Coly's first goal since Oct. 27, 2016.
• This was the sixth straight game between Bucknell and AU that was decided by one goal or fewer. The two previous contests resulted in 1-1 draws.

WHAT HEAD COACH ZACH SAMOL SAID

Overall thoughts on the game

• "I thought we had some really good moments tonight, moments that made me proud and gave me hope for the future. We have a lot of young guys out there making some young mistakes, but it's all a part of the growing process. Overall, I'm disappointed with the result and that we weren't able to handle some of their long throws, but I'm also hopeful because I saw some really good moments, too."

On his respect for Bucknell and their program

• "Bucknell is a tough place to play. I've only been in the league for a few years, but it's just a tough place to win [as a visitor]. They're hard-working kids and they don't give you anything easy. They do a lot of set pieces and long throws and I feel like they're just good at what they do."

On Coly's performance at the forward position and seeing him score a goal

• "I thought he was very good tonight. He really caused some problems. It was great to see him score. I was so happy that he scored. He kind of just stood up and said, 'I want the PK.' He handled that well, nice and calm and smooth. Then he was really unlucky to not get a second goal when he hit the crossbar [in the second half]. He was very good at handling pressure tonight. He was good at handling the ball. Overall, I just thought he was a handful for them."

HOW IT HAPPENED

• Bucknell controlled the offensive pace in the early part of the game, creating several chances and actually having a goal called back in the 8^th minute due to an offsides call.
• The Bison took the first lead with a header off a corner kick in the 12^th minute.
• In the 16^th minute, Nick Dimitrijevic created pressure before being fouled in the box to set up a penalty kick opportunity for the Eagles.
• Coly went left and the keeper went right on the PK, resulting in the early equalizer.
• AU had a few decent scoring chances the rest of the half, but weren't able to put any shots on target and headed into the half all tied at one goal apiece.
• Bucknell set pieces were hard for American to defend, and the second Bison goal was a product of that. Off a long throw-in from the far sideline, the ball found the head of Trevor Wiggins for the game-winning goal in the 53^rd minute.
• The Eagles had maybe their best scoring chance in the 62^nd minute. Coly fired a shot that hit the crossbar and then Damian Searchwell followed up with a shot that was blocked by Bucknell.
• Jason Bouregy found his way into the box in the 85^th minute, but his shot sailed wide.
• A last-ditch shot attempt in the final 20 seconds by Coly was blocked by Bucknell and the Bison were able to run the clock out for their first win of the season.

INSIDE THE BOX SCORE

• Bucknell held a slight advantage in shots (14-13), but they were dominant in creating corner kicks (8-2).
• The physical game saw AU get whistled for 13 fouls and Bucknell for 11. Three Eagles were booked for their first yellow cards of the season (Boyle, Coly, Schweickert), while one Bison player received a yellow.
• Lorenzo Gordon picked up three saves in the second half, including two acrobatic stops to keep the deficit at one. Jake Agnew picked up his first save of the season while playing the first 45 minutes.

UP NEXT

• AU is scheduled to face Loyola Maryland on Saturday, March 20.
• Kick-off is set for 7 p.m. in Baltimore, Md.

VIRTUALLY "PHIL" REEVES FIELD PRESENTED BY GEICO

• American University Athletics has announced a new virtual ticket campaign in an effort to sell out Reeves Field for the upcoming men's soccer season. This new season-long initiative, presented by "TEAM AU" partner GEICO, will challenge Eagles fans and alumni to virtually sell out each seat at Reeves Field for the 2021 men's soccer campaign. The "AU Founder" ticket price of $18.93 commemorates the year AU was founded. Click here to support AU Athletics by buying virtual tickets. 

KEEP UP WITH US

• For the latest on American University Men's Soccer, stay tuned to AUEagles.com and follow the team on Twitter (@AU_MSoccer), Facebook (/AU.MSoccer) and Instagram (@au.msoccer).