Black Knights Use Two Separate Six-Goal Outbursts to Erase Halftime Deficit

WEST POINT, N.Y. - Army rebounded from a shaky second quarter, scoring six unanswered goals in both the third and fourth quarters as they cruised to a 15-7 victory over Colgate Tuesday evening at rain-soaked Shea Stadium. The victory was the Black Knights' second straight in their current three-game homestand.

Trailing 4-3 at the half, Army (5-4/3-1) exploded for six goals to open the third quarter and take a commanding 9-4 lead. The Black Knights held possession of the ball for much of the quarter, dominating the faceoffs and applying constant pressure with their riding game. Army scored four times in a 1:31 span of the third that turned a 4-4 tie into an 8-4 advantage. Senior attackman Jimmy Vlahakis recorded a natural hat trick with three goals in the 15-minute session.

"We had two midfield changes (in the third quarter) and rode (Colgate) hard to get the ball back," Army head coach Jack Emmer said of his team's relentless pressure. "When you possess the ball for as long as we did in that third period, it makes it hard for somebody to come back."

Army didn't allow Colgate (5-5/2-2) over midfield for the first seven minutes of the second half and didn't yield a shot on goal until three minutes left. The Black Knights won all five draws in the third quarter and forced the Raiders into going just 2-for-7 in trying to clear the ball.

"We put a lot of pressure on (Colgate's) goalie because he was having trouble handling the ball," attackman Jeff Bryan said of Army's riding game. "Some of his passes were not great, and we were able to get the ball back and take advantage of those turnovers."

Army jumped out to a 3-0 lead after one period of play. Senior goalkeeper Dominik Nogic made five saves in the opening 15 minutes, and the Black Knights' man-down defense killed four Colgate extra-man opportunities. Army freshman Jim Wagner scored his first college goal off a perfect feed from Tim Pearson at 6:41 to open the scoring. Marko Kostovic and Bryan added two tallies in the final 32 seconds of the frame, giving the Black Knights what seemed to be all of the momentum. However, the hosts ran into trouble in the second quarter just as the skies opened up. Army watched the Raiders steal the momentum and rally for four straight goals to take a 4-3 lead at the break.

Army's Mike Kamon scored 39 seconds into the second half to even things up at 4-4. Then with just under eight minutes remaining in the third, the Black Knights took control of the match. Bryan notched his second of three on the night at 7:58 and Vlahakis netted his first of the period 11 seconds later. Midfielder Chris Woods joined in on the fun with an unassisted marker at 7:04, and Vlahakis dented the twine for the second time at 6:27 to open up an 8-4 lead. Vlahakis ended the outburst with his third goal of the stanza with 4:06 remaining.

After Colgate rallied for two quick goals at the end of the third, Army put an end to any hope of a comeback with six more unanswered goals to open the fourth period. Wagner got his second when he checked Colgate goalie Chris Hettler, knocking the ball loose, and bounced the ball into an open net at 12:01. Andy Mounce and Kostovic followed as the Black Knights doubled up the Raiders, 12-6.

Bryan capped a six-point night with his third goal of the game, and then Colin Burke scored unassisted followed by Wagner's third tally of the game.

Wagner, who did not have a point entering the contest, recorded his first career hat trick and multiple-goal game. Vlahakis' trick was the fourth in his career. Pearson finished with five assists, giving him 100 points in Patriot League matches over his four-year career. He is one point shy of the league record held by former Bucknell star Justin Zackey.