ANNAPOLIS, Md. – The American University men's soccer team defeated Navy 3-2 in the regular season finale on Tuesday night, securing a bye to the Patriot League Championship Semifinal and hosting rights as the #2 seed. The Eagles ended the campaign with their highest-scoring game of the year, with goals from
Yuta Phoenix and Massimo Menesses, and the game-winning strike came off the foot of
James Quesenberry in the 87th minute.
Notable
- The freshman Phoenix has now scored three goals in three straight games, making tonight's the quickest of the season for AU in the seventh minute.
- Meneses's goal was the first of his career, coming in his 13th appearance with AU after transferring from Oregon State.
- Finn O'Brien continues to create goals for the Eagles, picking up his fourth assist in the last three matches on Meneses's goal, giving him five total this year. Beil recorded the secondary assist, his first of the season.
- It was also Quesenberry's first career goal, as the freshman found the back of the net in just his second appearance of the season.
- Moad Ezzahir and Alex Workman provided the assists on Quesenberry's tally, the second of the campaign for Ezzahir and first of Workman's career.
- Evan Tubbs made three saves in the match, bringing his GAA to 1.12.
How it Happened
- Phoenix opened the scoring off a Navy turnover just outside their own box, as Luke Parker mishandled a pass. The rookie pounced on the ball, then dribbled around a charging Dylan Carmody and rolled his shot into the open net.
- Going into halftime up a goal, the Eagles doubled their lead through Meneses just nine minutes into the second stanza. O'Brien delivered a cross from the right corner that Meneses played off a bounce just outside the six yard box, chesting it into the air and striking it in with his right foot.
- AU's lead lasted just 16 minutes, as the Mids responded with goals from Jack Illig and Nick Gallucci just 54 seconds apart. Gallucci tied the score with a long distance strike from outside the box.
- Coming off the bench for the first time in three weeks, Quesenberry delivered the game-winning goal for American with just three minutes remaining in the match. Ezzahir played a bouncing ball from the right corner toward the top of the box that found Quesenberry charging to it, and the freshman one-timed a screaming shot past Carmody on the left side of the net.
- The Eagles held on in the final three minutes to secure the win.
Up Next
- American will host the semifinal at Reeves Field on Tuesday, Nov. 10 at noon against the winner of the highest remaining seed.
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).
