The Eagles compiled a 2–14 record against other D1 schools (while going 6-14-3 against D2 opponents in the Mason-Dixon Conference and MAC College Division) over that time under the tenure of tennis coach Larry Nyce for two seasons, then Ned Boehm.

However, the Darts moved to south Florida over the winter (where they would eventually be reborn as one of the key franchises of the NASL's glory years, the Fort Lauderdale Strikers) and Kerr's contract was sold to the New York Cosmos.

Pete Mehlert was born in Shanghai; raised in Hong Kong, London and Bethesda; and played soccer at Walter Johnson High School and Boston University, where the aggressive, combative—if undersized—midfielder was twice named to the All-New England region team.

Al-Rajaan (as a fifth-year senior – he sat out the 1972 season for personal reasons[15]), Kuykendall and Ross were again named to the MAC University Division eastern all-star team.

In a move that would foreshadow his trademark penchant for lining up the best opposition in the country, Mehlert scheduled a year-end match under the lights at Washington & Lee High School in Arlington against St. Louis University—who had won the NCAA championship nine of the previous 14 seasons and would win their tenth a few weeks later.

Unhappy with his three candidates to succeed Kuykendall at goalkeeper, Mehlert asked senior midfielder John Rachlin to try the position after watching him “fooling around” in the nets during practice.

After a shaky start that included AU's first loss to local rival George Washington in 6 years, the selfless Rachlin earned enthusiastic support from his teammates and praise from Mehlert.

Junior goalkeeper Jack Cassell (a name very familiar to the AU community) brought stability in the nets for the Eagles,[21] recording four shutouts against D1 opponents.

[23] Senior goalkeeper Cassell suffered a separated shoulder in an early-season loss to La Salle, opening the door for sophomore transfer Tony Vecchione (from Montclair State)[24] to post two shutouts in a 3-day period.

The Eagles won their first division championship thanks to two 1–0 overtime victories over Temple; one at Reeves Field, the other a playoff game in Philadelphia that served as the tie-breaker for the two schools' identical 4–1 conference records.

[27] Other highlights included: a return to Old Dominion's tournament, where AU lost to Long Island University before ending their early 0–3 start against D1 opponents with a victory against Virginia Military Institute; the beginning of another new local rivalry, this time against 1971 and 1974 NCAA champion Howard University (the Eagles lost to the Bison 1–3 at home); 5 shutouts against D1 opponents by junior goalkeeper Vecchione; and a 5-game midseason winning streak.

The 1–2 home loss to the Golden Rams was disappointing considering the Eagles had beaten them on the road 3–0 earlier in the season, but Neitzel suffered a head injury and West Chester was the hungrier team and outplayed AU.

[28] Neitzel, Cunningham and senior defender Garn Anderson were all named to the all-ECC East Division team as AU finished with an 8–8 record against D1 opponents.

It would be a year of firsts for the Eagles in 1978: the beginning of another local rivalry with new Division I entrant George Mason University (setting the tone for that intense rivalry with a 0–0 tie against the Patriots in Fairfax), going undefeated at home against D1 competition (6–0), and AU's first-ever NCAA tournament appearance in any team sport thanks to an at-large bid—despite not winning the ECC title but posting an 8–4–1 regular-season record against D1 opponents.

[29] The modest freshman forward Kevin Barth picked up where Neitzel left off the previous season, with his head emerging as the most dangerous part of the Eagles’ offense.

The experience of playing in the NCAA tournament would help shape an even-more successful season in 1979, but the Eagles would first have to replace the graduating Vecchione in the nets.

American would take the ECC East crown from Temple on penalty kicks after a 0–0 tie in Philadelphia, and crushed Rider 3–0 in the conference title game at Reeves Field.

In the first round of the NCAA tournament, AU prevailed 1–0 in Charlottesville in their first-ever match against the University of Virginia, as freshman forward Mark DeBlois scored his team-leading 12th goal on a free kick from sophomore midfielder Billy Hylton.

But the Eagles would graduate 7 seniors (Calderon would be the 75th overall pick in the 1980 NASL Draft by the New England Tea Men, who shortly moved to Jacksonville), including key reserve defender Keith Tabatznik, who would go on to become the head coach at Georgetown (joining Vecchione as the second Eagle alum recruited to coach a local rival), posing the need for recruiting and rebuilding before they could continue their ascent to the heights of college soccer.