Army West Point Athletics
Army West Point
8-3-5, 5-1-3
Lafayette College
9-5-4, 3-2-4
Men’s Soccer Claims First Patriot League Regular Season Championship in 26 Seasons, Ties Lafayette 0-0
November 02, 2022 | Men's Soccer
| Game 16 | |
|---|---|
| SCORE | Army West Point Black Knights 0, Lafayette Leopards 0 |
| RECORDS | Army (8-3-5, 5-1-3 PL), Lafayette (9-5-4, 3-2-4 PL) |
| LOCATION | Malek Stadium- West Point, NY |
WEST POINT, N.Y. - Army West Point men's soccer battled to a 0-0 draw at Malek Stadium on Wednesday night to Lafayette to close out the regular season.
Once the final whistle blew, the Black Knights were crowned Patriot League regular season champions with 18 points in the conference (5-1-3). It marked the first time since 1996 that Army won the regular season title. Picked sixth in the Patriot League Preseason Poll, Army has suffered just one loss in its final 13 contests en route to the number one seed ahead of the Patriot League Championships.
Lafayette came out determined at Malek Stadium, pinning Army back across the opening ten minutes of the game. The Leopards would have four corners in that opening ten minutes, with the Black Knights defending their box well and eventually growing into the game.
Tomas Hut was called into action multiple times early, with all three of his saves coming across the first half-hour. Hut did well to save an effort Marcos Kitromilides in the 29th minute after the Leopards took a free kick quickly to create a rapid chance in the Army box.
The chances would start to open up for Army, with Gage Guerra connecting with a rocket of a strike that was well saved by Alex Sutton in goal in the 33rd minute. Perhaps the best chance of the contest would come in the 41st minute for the Black Knights, with Joey Hickson delivering a ball into the path of Guerra. Guerra was able to get onto the ball at the end of his run, with the effort ultimately being wide of the net.
Playing through the scoreless deadlock for the entirety of the second half, Lafayette made a late surge with multiple shots, yet they were unable to test Hut in the Army goal. The Army backline of Nick Atkinson, Max Andrews, Dylan Mitchiner and Luke Doyle continued to stymie opposing forwards, giving Army its fifth shutout of the season.
Cadets Capsules
- Tomas Hut made three saves in net, securing his fourth solo clean sheet of the season as he closes the campaign with a 6-3-3 record.
- Army, along with Hut, has allowed just one goal from open play across its past six contests.
- Gage Guerra claims the Patriot League golden boot with nine goals scored this season.
- The 0-0 scoreline was Army's first of the season.
"I am really proud of the guys. They've worked so hard. It's a great moment for them and the program. The league is a very challenging one to navigate and I give them so much credit for handling their athletic, academic and military components in an elite way. The team will enjoy the accomplishment tonight but tomorrow we are back and preparing for the semifinal on Tuesday at home." - head coach Brian Plotkin.
Cadet's Corner
Gage Guerra on winning the Patriot League regular season title and reaction to winning the ?????????????? ???????????? ???????????? ???????? ????#GoArmy pic.twitter.com/F9KJ4T4SwS
— Army Men's Soccer (@ArmyWP_MSoccer) November 3, 2022
Up Next
Army will host either American, Lafayette or Navy in a Patriot League semifinal matchup on Tuesday, Nov. 8 at 6 p.m. from Malek Stadium (ESPN+).
