Soccer Fan Blog

Colgate gave the Patriot League its first non-League victory of the season in the final game on Saturday, as the Raiders scored three second-half touchdowns to beat Monmouth, 35-23, in the first night game at Andy Kerr Stadium. Bucknell fell at Duquesne, 24-19, in the other night contest.

Earlier in the day, Holy Cross beat Georgetown, 20-7, in the Patriot League opener. Lehigh lost at home against Central Connecticut State, 28-21, while Fordham fell at Rhode Island, 41-28.

Colgate used a familiar formula to win its ninth-consecutive regular-season contest. Sophomore running back Nate Eachus carried 20 times for 139 yards and three touchdowns, and has already passed the 1,000-yard mark in his young career (so how long will former teammate Jordan Scott hold the PL all-time rushing mark?). Greg Sullivan and Pat Simonds also hooked up for a pair of touchdown strikes, and the Raiders put together their trademark strong second half. For a team that has started slow even in successful seasons under Head Coach Dick Biddle, this was a quality win and a good performance against a solid program.

Bucknell never led in its game at Duquesne, though the Bison stayed in touch most of the way. They trailed just 17-13 at the half, and cut it to 24-19 in the final minute before an unsuccessful onside kick essentially ended things. The Bison got a strong game on the ground from sophomore C.J. Hopson, who rushed for a career-high 136 yards.

For more on all of Saturday’s action, visit www.patriotleague.org for a full recap and updated standings tonight, and the first set of cumulative statistics later in the weekend.