Men's Soccer Thwarted By James Madison, 2-0

Saturday, October 22

Vidas Field

4:00

Drexel University

1-11-2, 0-6-0

James Madison

3-9-3, 2-3-2

James Madison

Drexel

Photo by: Greg Carroccio

10/22/2016 6:18:00 PM | Men's Soccer

Box Score

PHILADELPHIA – The Drexel men's soccer team was officially eliminated from postseason contention on Saturday afternoon as the Dragons fell to James Madison in the final Colonial Athletic Association home game of the season, 2-0. The visiting Dukes scored a pair of second-half goals to grab the victory and three important points in the CAA race.

Drexel (1-11-2, 0-6-0) was outshot 16-5 overall on the afternoon. Tyler Afflerbach had six saves, the most for the senior goalkeeper since coming up with seven stops in a draw against Rhode Island on Sept. 6. The Dragons managed to put just two shots on goal, as Aaron and Tristan Thompson each tested James Madison goalkeeper Kyle Morton.

The two teams played to a scoreless draw in the first half, with neither able to mount much sustained offensive pressure. Perhaps the best opportunity of the half came from the Dragons in the final seconds of the period as Ilai Shvika took a feed off a free kick and headed it just over the crossbar and out of play as time expired.

Drexel very nearly took a 1-0 lead early in the second half on an Aaron Thompson shot. The senior had the ball and space to the right of the James Madison net. Morton found himself out of position, but he was backed up by Soheyl Alipour-Rafi, who put himself between Thompson and the net and was able to clear the Lakewood, Calif. native's shot off the goal line before it crossed.

James Madison would get on the board in the 66th minute. Billy Metzler took possession on the baseline on the left side, crossing it into the middle where Joy Vyner headed it to the near post, eluding the diving Afflerbach for his first goal of the season. Eight minutes later, it was Metzler who scored on an unassisted play. A loose ball in the mixer found its way to Metzler, who wheeled and deked the defense before firing into an empty net.

The two-goal cushion would prove to be enough for James Madison, as the Dragons could not get much going down the stretch. Tristan Thompson had a chance at a point-blank attempt late in the contest, but could not make solid contact with the ball as Morton was able to scoop up his low shot.

Drexel will have one final contest at Vidas Field on Tuesday night when the Dragons host UMBC at 7:00 p.m. The game will be preceded by the Senior Night ceremony, during which four seniors – Afflerbach, Aymen Ben Hadj Slama, Jameson Detweiler and Aaron Thompson – will be recognized for their contributions to the program.