For the first time since 2004, American University men's soccer won the Patriot League championship and earned an appearance in the NCAA Tournament with a 2-1 double-overtime road victory over previously unbeaten and No. 24 Lafayette in the Patriot League title game. David Coly was named Patriot League Tournament MVP, while Jerry Zouantcha, Oscar McConnell, and Nick Dimitrijevic joined him on the All-Tournament Team. 

From left to right: David Coly, Nick Dimitrijevic, Oscar McConnell, Jerry Zouantcha

The Eagles had reached the Patriot League final seven times since winning the 2004 title but failed to advance in all seven of those appearances. AU finally broke that spell and earned the Patriot League championship in the spring 2021 campaign. After winning the PL title, AU received votes in the United Soccer Coaches Poll for the first time since Nov. 8, 2016. The Eagles also entered the NCAA tournament ranked first in the NCAA’s RPI metric. 

AU advanced past the opening round of the NCAA tournament for the eighth straight appearance with a 5-4 advantage in penalty kicks over Jacksonville after ending regulation tied 3-3. Thanks to a fourth-minute goal from David Coly, AU held a 1-0 lead over No. 1 seed Clemson at halftime in the NCAA Second Round, but ultimately fell 2-1. 

Before their loss to Clemson, the Eagles had been unbeaten in six straight games, matching their longest streak since ending the 2016 season on a six-game run. American finished the spring 2021 campaign with a 4-2-3 record, including a 2-1-2 mark in Patriot League play. The Eagles earned the No. 2 seed in the PL South division before running the table in the conference tournament to advance to the NCAA Tournament.

In his first season at AU, over four years removed since last playing collegiate soccer, David Coly led the Patriot League with seven goals and 14 points. He also led the conference, and ranked ninth in the nation, with 0.78 goals per game. He scored a goal in six straight games to close out the season, a streak not matched since at least 2001. Coly was also recognized as Second Team All-Patriot League and Second Team All-Atlantic Region. 

Joining Coly as a Second Team All-Patriot League selection was fellow transfer Nicolas Blassou. A stalwart center back, Blassou anchored a strong defense all season long by leading the team in minutes played. Offensively, Blassou scored two goals. 

The Eagles will lose six valuable seniors to graduation (Oscar McConnell, Al-Ameen Salako, Nick Dimitrijevic, Jake Agnew, Kyle Hellmann, and Brenner Jarrad), but return most of their core pieces from this season's Patriot League championship squad. A 13-person recruiting class from last year will be joined by eight newcomers this fall, looking to help AU defend its Patriot League title for the first time since joining the conference in 2001.