BOYDS, Md. - In its final home game of the regular season, American University men's soccer struck first but had to settle for a 1-1 tie against visiting Holy Cross at the Maryland SoccerPlex. After the Eagles held a 1-0 lead for 30 minutes of action, the Crusaders' aggressive play paid off with a goal in the 86th minute.

Notable

• Senior Dilane Zouantcha scored his third goal of the season to put American on the board in the second half.
• Assists on Zouantcha's goal were credited to senior Leo Paloma and junior Troy Elgersma. 
• Elgersma now has a Patriot League-leading six assists, while Palomo has three assists this season.
• AU finished with four shots on goal while Holy Cross had three. Many shots just missed the target for both teams, who combined for 23 overall with AU taking 12 and Holy Cross taking 11.

How It Happened

• American controlled possession for most of the first half, though both teams struggled to put significant pressure on the goalkeepers. 
• Holy Cross managed to get the first shot on goal, a low shot across the goalmouth that was poked away by Eagles keeper Matthew Tibbetts. 
• In the 36th minute, junior Sebastian Garces took a free kick in the deep corner and sent it on goal, where Holy Cross goalkeeper Tristan Stephani poked it out. 
• In total, American out-shot the Crusaders 6-3 in the first half, but was only able to test Stephani the one time.
• The Eagles came out hard in the second half,  and Zouantcha was able to find the back of the net in the 54th minute. 
• Holy Cross then stepped up its game, spending more time in American's zone. 
• With 17 minutes left, sophomore Jared Weber came up with a crucial block on a shot by Holy Cross, and his solid defense stopped another play in the works a short time later.
• With five minutes left in the half, Marcus Williams scored on a header for the Crusaders off a long pass from Jonathan Klein.

Up Next

• The Eagles will close out the regular season with a 7 p.m. game at Navy on Tuesday, Nov. 5. The PL standings are extremely close with two points separating the second through eighth spots in the rankings. While the standings will shift after four Friday night games, the Eagles are currently tied for second with 12 points.

Stay Connected

• For the latest on American University men's soccer, stay tuned to AUEagles.com and follow the team on Twitter (@AU_MSoccer), and Instagram (@au.msoccer).