WASHINGTON – American University men's soccer will put its four-game unbeaten streak on the line when they take on undefeated and No. 24 ranked Lafayette in the Patriot League Championship on Saturday afternoon.
 
QUICK INFO

• Date/Time: Saturday, April 17, 3:00 p.m.
• Site: Easton, Pa. (Oaks Stadium)
• Series History: American leads, 14-3-6
• TV: ESPN+
• Talent: Adam Dobrowolski (pxp)

PLEASE FOLLOW US ONLINE ONLY; NO FANS OR SPECTATORS PERMITTED ON CAMPUS.

• Per Washington, D.C. and American University guidelines, and for the health and safety of our coaches, student-athletes and campus community, no spectators are permitted at athletics events in 2020-21.
• This policy is a stipulation of our approval to host athletic events from D.C. Department of Health and D.C. Homeland Security and Emergency Management.
• We do not anticipate a change in these guidelines this semester. Violators will be escorted from the site and jeopardize our ability to host athletic events for our student-athletes.
• All American University athletic events played on campus this spring will be streamed on ESPN+ (FAQ HERE) and can also be watched through the Patriot League's International Video Stream.
• Schedules and game updates can be found at www.AUeagles.com and our Twitter account @AUeagles.
• All scheduled events and start times are subject to change. 

INSIDE THE SERIES

• AU and Lafayette have met three other times in the Patriot League Tournament, including twice in the championship game. The Leopards won both title games (2-0 in 2012, 1-0 in 2005) at Reeves Field, but AU won a PL semifinal at Reeves in 2004, 1-0.
• The last time Lafayette beat AU, regular season or postseason, was in that 2012 championship game. In that game, Lafayette cashed in on a 20th-minute corner before picking up a save on an AU penalty kick in the 32nd minute. The Leopards picked up an insurance goal in the 67th minute to win, 2-0.
• Lafayette enters this matchup ranked No. 24 in the latest United Soccer Coaches Poll. American is 0-4-1 against ranked opponents in their last five opportunities, last topping a ranked opponent on Sept. 4, 2016 when AU beat No. 25 SMU on the road, 3-1.

WHAT TO KNOW ABOUT AMERICAN

• AU hasn't lost since their second game of the season, a 2-1 loss at Bucknell. The Eagles are riding a four-game unbeaten streak, their longest streak since ending the 2016 season on a six-game run.
• The Eagles are playing in their first Patriot League final since 2016. American is looking for their first PL title and NCAA Tournament berth since 2004.
• Two Eagles were recognized as All-Conference when the league announced the awards on Tuesday. David Coly and Nicolas Blassou, both first-year transfers, were named Second Team All-Patriot League. Coly has four goals this season, which leads the Patriot League. Blassou has led the defense from his center back position, holding opponents to a .315 shots on goal percentage (28-of-89).
• Defensively, American rides a two-goalkeeper rotation. Senior Jake Agnew starts the first half, while freshman Lorenzo Gordon finishes the game. The Eagles hold a 1.08  goals against average (GAA), good for third in the Patriot League. Agnew was named PL Goalkeeper of the Week on March 23 after recording three saves on 13 shots faced at Loyola (3/20). Agnew also ranks third in the league with a .769 save percentage.
• AU snuck into the tournament as the No. 2 seed in the PL South. Loyola earned the No. 1 seed with nine division points, while AU and Navy were tied with seven. Since they tied, the head-to-head tiebreaker was invalid. Moving onto Tiebreaker B (comparison of winning percentage against non-tied divisional opponents from highest to lowest seed), AU beat the No. 1 seed Loyola, while Navy lost to the Greyhounds, thus earning AU the No. 2 seed.

WHAT TO KNOW ABOUT LAFAYETTE

• Lafayette has been impressive all season long, running off seven straight wins to move into the national rankings at No. 24. They've played no overtime games, and their closest contest was against Boston, requiring an 89th minute goal for a 3-2 win.
• Nick Hazel was named Co-Defensive Player of the Year and coach Dennis Bohn received his first PL Coach of the Year Award. Six Leopards were on the All-PL team.
• Lafayette owns both ends of the pitch, leading the league with 2.14 goals/game, while holding a 0.86 GAA (second in league).
• Hale Lombard leads the offense with three goals and one assist. Alex Sutton has been the only goalkeeper for the Leopards, picking up 12 saves on the season. 

PATRIOT LEAGUE TOURNAMENT HISTORY

• American will be looking to break through some bad luck in the Patriot League Tournament under the leadership of second-year head coach, Zach Samol.
• Samol is looking to guide AU to its first PL title and NCAA tournament appearance since 2004 when the Eagles scored a 1-0 overtime win over Lehigh in the finals, which was AU's second PL title after advancing on PKs in 2001.
• But since winning the 2004 title, AU has failed to advance in the PL championship game seven straight times, including four straight times from 2009-12.
• The Eagles have played 11 overtime games in the PL Tournament, including most recently a 3-2 loss to Colgate in 2018. In OT games decided before penalty kicks, AU is 3-1.
• In OT games decided by penalty kicks, AU has advanced three out of seven times. 

INTERNATIONAL FLAVOR

• With its remarkable location in Washington, D.C., American has long attracted students from all around the globe. The men's soccer program is no different.
• AU boasts a roster featuring eight international players from six different countries.
• England leads the way with three players calling it home (Dimitrijevic, McConnell, McGovern).
• Other countries represented on the AU roster include Bulgaria (Poelzlbauer), Cameroon (Zouantcha), Turkey (Bouregy), Senegal (Coly), and Sweden (Sjoberg). Additionally, Al-Ameen Salako was born in Nigeria, but calls Wilmette, Ill., home. 

STAYING LOCAL

• As global of a footprint that AU Men's Soccer has produced, local roots to soccer clubs in the DMV region also run deep.
• Six players from the Bethesda-Rockville area have made the short trek up the road to be an Eagle. Nicolas Blassou and Ben Severe both transferred to AU to be closer to home after beginning their careers at Kentucky and Villanova, respectively.
• Jerry Zouantcha claims Cameroon as home, but played on the same club team as Blassou and played a role in recruiting him to AU.
• Will Manogue, Kevin Ventura, and Tomas Martini join those two as Maryland natives on the roster. 
• Lorenzo Gordon is also not very far from his hometown of Fairfax, Va. Gordon is the only Virginia native on the squad this season. 

THE AMERICAN 500

• With the win over Loyola last month, American men's soccer reached 500 wins in program history.
• The program was established in 1949 and is competing in its 72nd season.
• The Patriot League boasts a rich men's soccer tradition, as eight other programs have also reached 500 wins.
• Of programs established after the 1930s, AU is one of three to reach the milestone (Boston U. - 1949, 560 wins, Loyola - 1940, 734 wins).

THE GOALIE ROTATION

• It is not traditional for teams to play two goalies this late in a season. But if it isn't broken, don't fix it.
• Jake Agnew, a senior who transferred to AU from Appalachian State to join his keeper coach Dan Louisignau, has been outstanding as the starter.
• In the last two games, he has picked up multiple diving saves and kept both Navy and Loyola scoreless while in the game.
• Lorenzo Gordon gave up two goals in the last game, but has been good in goal, as well. Just a freshman, Gordon comes from tremendous pedigree, having played on the DC United U-19 Academy Team since 2016 and serving as the captain.
• He was also rostered with Loudoun United FC for the 2020 USL Championship season.

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. 

HOW TO WATCH ESPN+

• A subscription to ESPN+ is available for purchase via ESPN.com, ESPNPlus.com, or the ESPN App. Fans can access ESPN+ content only after they have subscribed. To subscribe, click here. It costs $5.99/month or $59.99/year.

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).