The men’s soccer team is in, having won the Patriot League title and a spot in the NCAA tournament for the second consecutive year.
The men’s football team wants in, and by winning a critical match-up against Holy Cross on Saturday it would capture the Patriot League championship and receive an automatic berth in the NCAA Football Championship Subdivision playoffs.
Welcome to NCAA Division I athletics, everyone.
The soccer team plays Boston College at 5 p.m. Friday at the Eagles’ Newton Campus Soccer Complex. Tickets are available at the gate or Raiders fans can watch the free webcast through CBSsports.com All-Access.
Colgate enters the tournament with a 12-5-3 overall record and a four-game win streak.
“We are playing well right now and I think we can represent Colgate and the Patriot League very well. We are looking forward to the challenge,” said coach Erik Ronning.
On Saturday, the No. 21 ranked Raiders (8-2 overall, 4-0 Patriot League) will play host to the Crusaders (7-3, PL 5-0) at Andy Kerr Stadium. Kickoff is 1:06 p.m.
While the weather forecast is for brisk conditions, the Raiders are actually hoping for a “blackout.”
The team’s players have asked all in attendance to wear black to the game, and the first 800 people will be given free black T-shirts.
The Raiders are hoping the show of solidarity will help them on the field while reviving a tradition known as the Hoodoo, which first appeared in 1908.
According to a report in a 1935 Maroon article, the Hoodoo is a wraith-like specter that worked as a twelfth man for the football team as it went on to defeat the Syracuse Orange at old Archbold Stadium.
This year’s Raiders, who are seeking their sixth Patriot League title under head coach Dick Biddle, have won seven straight, while Holy Cross has a six-game winning streak.
Colgate is hoping the Crusaders’ streak ends in a sea of black, so its season can continue in the NCAA playoffs.
The Raiders want in.