(Box Score) 

            GORHAM, Maine - Junior midfielder Chris Kain (Kennebunk, Maine) snapped a 1-1 tie with less than three minutes to play Saturday afternoon to give the University of Southern Maine a hard-fought, 2-1 victory over Plymouth State University in a Little East Conference men's soccer match at the USM Soccer Field.

            The win was the second straight for the Huskies and evened their records at 4-4-0 overall and 1-1-0 in the conference.  The Panthers dropped their third straight match to slip to 4-3-0 overall and 0-2-0 in the conference.

            Kain scored his first collegiate goal in the 88th minute as he beat a PSU defender to a loose ball at the back post.  USM senior Peter McHugh (Scarborough, Maine) won a 50-50 ball along the end line and directed a pass by PSU freshman goalkeeper Bjorn Ohlsson (Halmstad, Sweden) and across the goalmouth to the streaking Kain.

            After a scoreless first half, the Huskies got on the board first when junior Nick Johnson (South Portland, Maine) converted a pass from McHugh for his team-leading sixth goal of the season.  The goal came in the 53rd minute.

            Plymouth State tied the match in the 65th minute when senior Semir Mehmedovic (Zvornik, Bosnia) curled a corner kick into the goal for his sixth goal of the campaign.  Mehmedovic made a bid for a second goal late in the match, but was turned back by senior defender Steve May (Brunswick, Maine) after Mehmedovic lifted the ball over USM junior goalie David Kreps (Agawam, Mass./Wilbraham & Monson).

            Kreps and Ohlsson each finished the match with two saves.  Plymouth State held a 12-10 edge in shots and both teams had three corner kicks.  McHugh, who shares the assist lead for USM, had a shot go off the frame in the first half, and Mehmedovic struck a post in the second half.

            Southern Maine is off until Wednesday (4:30 p.m.) when it travels to Colby College for a non-conference match.  Plymouth State heads north to play Husson University on Sunday (12:00 p.m.) in a non-conference encounter. 

 (Courtesy of Southern Maine Sports Information) 

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