EASTON, Pa. - In a tightly played contest, the American University men's soccer team conceded a goal in the opening seconds of the second half that decided the match against Lafayette on Saturday afternoon. The Eagles owned possession for the majority of the half on the comeback trail, but they couldn't find an equalizer. 

Notable 

• The Eagles generated five corners to just one for the Leopards, and committed just six fouls 18 for the home side. 
• Troy Elgersma put AU's only two shots on target, including a free kick from well outside the box that challenged Lafayette keeper Eric Axtman. 
• Matthew Tibbetts made two saves on the day, including a diving stop in the first half. 
• AU is now 3-1 in Patriot league play and 4-6-1 overall. 

How it Happened

• AU had the first scoring chance of the match in the 16^th minute off a turnover, when Troy Elgersma and Mustapha Sowe worked a give-and-go after a poor Lafayette throw-in. Sowe delivered a cross into the box from the left flank, but it fell just off target of Elgersma's foot at the end of his run toward goal. 
• Six minutes later, Sowe got loose again in the attacking third after winning the ball from Joseph Lee. Garces ran with him towards goal to give AU a two-on-one chance, but Sowe's pass fell behind Garces.
• The Leopards had their best chance of the half in 23rd minute, when James Melnick challenged Matthew Tibbets. The Lafayette midfielder struck a shot well from just outside the box on the left side, and Tibbetts leaped to the top left corner to make an acrobatic stop. 
• The teams traded a shot each after that, both falling off target. They took to the locker room knotted at 0-0. 
• The home side found their moment just 17 seconds into the second half, taking the 1-0 lead on a goal from Riley Martin.
• Right off the kickoff, Axtman lofted a long ball from Lafayette's half into the attacking third that was chased down by Martin into the box. He centered a pass to Nicolas Papadopoulus, whose shot was blocked. He picked up his own rebound and passed the ball to Martin just to his left, who buried his shot to the bottom right corner. 
• The Eagles maintained the ball for most of the second half, but had trouble creating threatening chances. They took just three more shots, with the only one on target coming from Elgersma on a free kick in the 70th minute.

Up Next

• The Eagles return home next Saturday, Oct. 11 to face Lehigh. Kickoff is set for 1 p.m.

Keep up With Us

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