WASHINGTON – Trailing 2-0 with 18 minutes left to play, the American University men's soccer team stormed back into the match with back-to-back goals to salvage a point against Lafayette on Saturday afternoon. Freshman
Yuta Phoenix tallied his first career goal in the 76th minute, and
Nicholas Beil provided the equalizer with just over a minute remaining in the match. With the 2-2 result, AU is now 4-1-2 in Patriot League play and moves into second place in the conference standings.
Notable
- Beil's goal was his second in as many games, following a game-winning strike against Army on Wednesday with a game-tying tally on Saturday.
- Finn O'Brien picked up the primary assist on both goals, with Chris Sullivan earning the secondary assist for Beil. The sophomore O'Brien now leads AU with three assists on the season, totaling six in his young career.
- Evan Tubbs made four saves, including a diving stop in the 66th minute on a Lucas Gardeniers header.
- The match was played evenly in the major statistical categories, with Lafayette taking 13 shots to AU's 12 and generating five corner kicks to AU's four. Both teams also put six shots on goal each.
How it Happened
- It was an intense opening to the match, with 16 fouls called before Lafayette opened the scoring in the 39th minute off a free kick opportunity from just outside the box.
- James Melnick poked a header past Tubbs off a front spinning delivery from Samir Dischnica, just getting enough of the ball to redirect it into the right corner of the frame.
- The Leopards doubled their lead in the 72nd minute, when Roy Biegon drove a ground shot from the left side of the box into the right side of the net. With under 20 minutes remaining, AU needed two goals.
- The Eagles found their response in the rookie Phoenix three minutes after conceding, who bounced a quality cross from O'Brien into the right corner to beat Harrison Wolfrom. Quickly, the home side was right back in the match.
- American kept moving on the comeback trail, generating five more shots before pulling out the equalizer with 1:18 to play.
- AU was awarded a corner kick on the ride side, and Chris Sullivan served a low ball into the box. Making a run to the byline, Finn O'Brien brilliantly flicked the ball into the six-yard box to find Beil, who powered his shot to the top of the net through traffic.
- The final minute of the match went scoreless, securing a point for the Eagles.
Up Next
- The Eagles remain at home next Friday, Oct. 30 against Holy Cross. Kickoff is set for 1 p.m.
Keep Up With Us
- For the latest on American University Men's Soccer, stay tuned to AUEagles.com and follow the team on X (@AU_MSoccer) and Instagram (@au.msoccer).
