HAMILTON - Headed to halftime with a 2-0 lead and down to 10 men, the Raiders held on to earn a gritty 2-1 victory over Fordham on Saturday afternoon in Hamilton.
COACH RONNING'S COMMENTS
"Gutsy performance from the guys, particularly in the second half when we were under a lot of pressure with Fordham chasing the game.Â
The guys ran incredibly hard and played with discipline and expect this will carry over into our upcoming games.Â
Great for us to experience these situations as we are certain to play in lots of tight games against great teams, similar to today."
HOW IT HAPPENED
- Fordham came within inches of taking the lead just over 10 minutes into the match as a shot rattled the crossbar. Goalkeeper Eric Widrick sprung to his feet and kept out the rebound.
- Cole Ramey tried to sneak the ball short side but the Fordham keeper was able to deflect the ball wide halfway through the first half.
- Jack Beerling played a ball over the top to Ramey who battled with the Fordham defender and was able to get just enough on it to bounce past the outstretched hand of the Rams' goalkeeper to give Colgate a 1-0 lead in the 26th minute.
- Five minutes before the halftime break, Gavin Krauss whipped a ball backpost to the foot of Aidan Wright. The forward was able to get just enough on it to sneak off the post and double the Colgate lead.
- Moments after the second goal, Charlie Yates was shown a red card for serious foul play and the Raiders would have to play the remainder of the match with 10 men.
- The Rams were able to cut the deficit to one with an own goal scored 13 minutes into the second half.
- Blake Pipkin was nearly able to reestablish the two-goal lead but his effort was saved by the Fordham keeper.
- Fordham continued to push for an equalizing goal but the Colgate defense stifled any effort and the Raiders held on to win 2-1.
GAME NOTES
- Cole Ramey picked up his second goal of the season while Aidan Wright netted his first.
- Head coach Erik Ronning equaled Michael Doherty for most wins in a career with 160.
- Eric Widrick made a season-high eight saves.
- The Raiders open the season unbeaten through the first three games for the first time since 2022.
UP NEXT
The Raiders (2-0-1) stay at home for a midweek matchup with Binghamton at Beyer-Small '76 Field on Thursday, Sept. 4. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m.
