Williams Scores As Men’s Soccer Blanks FDU, 1-0

Saturday, September 19

West Point, N.Y.

7 PM ET

Army West Point

2-3-1

Fairleigh Dickinson

2-4-0

Fairleigh Dickinson

Army West Point

Williams Scores As Men’s Soccer Blanks FDU, 1-0

September 19, 2015 | Men's Soccer

Box Score

WEST POINT, N.Y. – Junior Nick Williams scored his first goal of the season to help lift the Army West Point men's soccer team to a 1-0 victory over Fairleigh Dickinson on Saturday evening at Clinton Field.

Unbeaten in their last three games, the Black Knights improve to 2-3-1 on the year, while the visiting Knights drop to 2-4-0.

"It's the first shutout of the year for us, so we have to take a lot of positives out of that," said head coach Russell Payne. "There are some things we have to work on, in terms of our ability to keep the ball a little better, but we got a 1-0 shutout and that's very positive."

Army earned the game's first free kick just 1:54 into the contest, with sophomore Marcos Arroyo sending the set piece into Fairleigh Dickinson's wall before gathering the deflection and again striking a shot off of a visiting defender.

The Black Knights held possession in their attacking end during the early goings of the first half before the action went back and forth for a large majority of the period.

The Knights earned their best opportunity of the half when Leo Saiti's shot from the left side went on target, but senior goalkeeper Chris Britt swallowed up the chance to keep the match scoreless. Britt ended the night with three saves while earning his first career shutout.

Freshman Christian Lue Young had a late shot on goal, as he received a through ball from classmate Brett Becia along the right side of the 18-yard box before sending a low shot that was saved by Fairleigh Dickinson keeper Matthew Weigner at his near post in the 44th minute. Weigner made five stops in the match.

It didn't take Army long to find its way onto the scoreboard as the teams took the field for the second half, as Williams headed home a right-swinging cross from senior Cody Guerry to give the Black Knights a 1-0 advantage in the 53rd minute.

"We created a very good goal, Cody did well to put a great ball through to Nick," Payne added. "Nick was composed and poised to take the goal the way he did and I'm proud of our guys for maximizing the opportunity."

Fairleigh Dickinson responded quickly with pressure in Army's end of the field and eventually won a free kick from the right edge of the 18-yard box in the 56th minute. Christian Dietrich sent a shot off the Black Knights' wall on the set piece and got his follow up attempt through Army's backline, but Britt was there to corral the shot and preserve his team's one-goal lead.

Williams threatened to double the Black Knights' advantage in the 59th minute, when he directed a hard shot on net that Weigner was forced to tip before finally grasping hold of the loose ball.

The game began to veer toward a more physical direction midway through the second half, as both teams drew seven fouls each in the period, with most of those fouls occurring in the game's waning moments.

Army allowed five Fairleigh Dickinson shots in the second half, but kept visiting forwards at bay by limiting dangerous looks at the net.

Army travels to Fairfield on Tuesday, Sept. 22 for a match against the Stags at 7 p.m. before beginning Patriot League play at Lafayette on Sept. 26.

MATCH NOTES: Army evens its all-time series versus Fairleigh Dickinson at 1-1 … Nick Williams scored his first goal of the season … Cody Guerry added an assist for his first point of the year … Chris Britt stopped three shots to register the first clean sheet of his career.