June 11, 2008

The 2007 Saint Joseph's men's soccer team used a blend of youth and experience to propel the squad to its best season in three years with five wins.

SJU hit the road running at the Coastal Carolina/adidas Invitational, getting shut out 6-0 by Furman. Despite the loss, the Hawks bounced back two days later in a come-from-behind victory over the hosts, Coastal Carolina, 3-2 thanks to a hat trick by freshman Colin Baker. Baker's trio was the first indication of a special season by the first year standout.

Returning to Pennsylvania, Saint Joseph's struggled to regain its offensive touch in losses at Villanova (4-0) and at home against Rider (2-0). There were signs of life in the Rider game as SJU out shot the Broncs 20-6.

In their travels across the state, the Hawks dropped a tough 2-1 overtime loss to Pittsburgh. Freshman Greg Dusing gave Saint Joseph's an early 1-0 lead, but the Panthers tied it up to send it to overtime before prevailing in the extra frame. Pitt held a 23-3 edge in shots.

At La Salle, a cross-city rivalry was played with the Explorers coming out on top 4-1, the lone Hawk goal coming from the foot of junior Andrew Tursi. One more cross-city rival would take another match from Saint Joseph's as Penn won a 4-0 decision at Finnesey Field, to end the Hawks' September at a disappointing 1-6.

October would be one of the most successful months in men's soccer in over a decade thanks to timely scoring and lock down defense. SJU finished the month 4-2-1 and was atop the heap in the Atlantic 10 heading into November for the first time since 1994.

An unassuming 1-1 draw at NJIT didn't seem to right the Hawks' ship at first, but was a step in the right direction. The leading goal scorer a season before, Mike McInaw recorded his only goal of the season in Newark that day, and set the stage for Saint Joseph's to take four of the next six games.

A week later Saint Joseph's returned to Hawk Hill for its A-10 opener versus Temple. What looked to be like a game heading into overtime instantly changed when an Owl giveaway near midfield saw senior tri-captain Pat Duddy go the distance and score the game-winner in the 81st minute.

Next time out, SJU suffered a demoralizing 3-1 loss to Philadelphia University as Duddy provided the lone bright spot. A few days later, Duddy and company worked their magic again against George Washington. Duddy tallied a second half equalizer and fellow senior tri-captain Ian Kane scored his only goal of the year in a dramatic double-overtime win, 2-1.

Two days later, SJU would score its third straight A-10 victory when a Colin Baker header found its way into the Richmond net for a 1-0 win on October 21. Baker received the ball on a Travis Gast free kick from about 30 yards away.

The Hawks would hit the road for four straight contests to the outer reaches of the Conference. In the first pair of games, SJU fell to Dayton, 4-1, after an early Pat Duddy goal gave SJU a slender 1-0 margin. Two days later, SJU would strike back when Baker scored another game-winner at Xavier. This time, it came in overtime to snatch a crucial 1-0 victory. Bryan Benedict earned his third shutout of the season in Cincinnati.

November would not treat SJU kindly as the Hawks would struggle. A crushing 8-0 loss at nationally-ranked Saint Louis, coupled with a 3-1 defeat at Charlotte later that weekend left Saint Joseph's at 4-3 in A-10 play with two games to go.

SJU would go onto outplay UMass for most of the game, but the eventual national semifinalists would capitalize on Hawk mistakes to snatch a 3-0 win on Hawk Hill. Saint Joseph's then let in four tallies to start the match versus Rhode Island, before two free kick goals by Baker in the last 20 minutes finished the match, 4-2.

For the season, Baker earned A-10 Rookie of the Year honors, while he and Duddy earned Philladelphia Soccer Seven accolades, too. Next year looks promising as Baker, Benedict, McInaw, Dusing, and Gast headline a strong Hawk corps in 2008.