ST. LEO, Fla. – The Embry-Riddle men's soccer team traveled to play Saint Leo in search of its first conference win of the 2018 season on Saturday.
 
It seemed as if the Eagles were going to come away with a tie as the clock read 10 minutes left in the match, however, the Blue and Gold had other plans.
 
With 10 minutes remaining, ERAU (2-2, 1-1) was awarded its eighth corner kick of the match. When the cross was sent into the box, the Lions' (2-3, 0-1) defense was whistled for a foul resulting in an Eagle penalty kick. Alex O'Brien was given the opportunity and beat the keeper to give the Blue and Gold a 2-1 lead.
 
The Eagles held the lead for the final minutes and earned their first Sunshine State Conference win of the 2018 season.
 
The Eagles started the game aggressively on the offensive end, accumulating five shots and six corners in the first 20 minutes of the match, three of which were by Olav Olsen Aamlid.
 
At the eight-minute mark, the Eagles were awarded a free kick on their defensive side of the pitch. The kick, taken by Ryan Kirby, was blocked by a Saint Leo player and ricocheted to a Lion attacker. It looked like Hadyn Dickinson was going to have a one-on-one opportunity with the keeper, but ERAU's backline was able to recover and make a clean tackle on the Saint Leo forward.
 
The Eagles' efforts on the offensive end paid off after Tim Frederik-Lange was able to beat the Lion goalkeeper and find the back of the net. A pass from Aamlid sent Frederik-Lange forward took a high bounce that got the keeper out of position, and Frederik-Lange was able to execute to give ERAU a 1-0 lead at the 12-minute mark.
 
With 10 minutes remaining in the half, the Eagles tried to add one more to their lead before the break. Collin Archer sent a cross into the box and nearly found the boot of Diogo Cobos in front of goal, but Saint Leo was able to deflect it away. ERAU would take its 1-0 lead into the half.
 
Frederik-Lange tried to notch his second goal of the match early in the second half. He was able to create space in ERAU's attacking third, but his shot sliced high and wide.
 
15 minutes into the second half Saint Leo was given a free kick in a dangerous position outside the box. The Lion's Mathis Hardy curled a shot around ERAU's wall of defenders to score the equalizing goal. His shot was Saint Leo's first shot on goal in the match.
 
ERAU had a chance to answer just minutes later. A pass deflected off the chest of the Eagle goalkeeper which created an opportunity for Shane Butler, however, his shot sailed high.
 
With 20 minutes to go in the match, the Eagles had another chance to regain the lead. With a free kick opportunity, Pierre Hertin sent a ball into the box that found the head of Kirby. Kirby got a lot of strength behind the shot, but it deflected off the crossbar and was cleared away.
 
The Eagles continued to press on the offensive end. ERAU outshot Saint Leo 13-9 in the match, and it would be the last shot by O'Brien that would seal the game to give the Blue and Gold a 2-1 victory.
 
Aamlid and Frederik-Lange led the attack with three shots each. The Eagles also held a 9-2 advantage on corner kicks.
 
The Blue and Gold will continue its road trip next weekend in Boca Raton, Fla. The game against Lynn will take place Saturday at 6 p.m.