PLYMOUTH, N.H. – Sophomore David Nilsson (Karlstad, Sweden) scored 27 seconds into the second half to break a 1-1 tie and Plymouth State University made the lead stand up as the Panthers held off Curry College, 2-1, in non-conference men's soccer action at Arold Field on Wednesday afternoon.
 
PSU took a lead off a beautiful corner in the ninth minute, only to see the Colonels tie it before the first half expired. Nilsson scored the game-winner early in the second half and sophomore Nicolas Cornejo (Durham, N.H.) made a pair of key saves to preserve the lead.
 
Plymouth State improves to 1-7-0, while Curry falls to 5-4-3.
 
The Basics:

• Plymouth State 2, Curry 1
  • Plymouth State (1-7-0)
  • Curry (5-4-3)

How it Happened:

• Plymouth State got on the board in the ninth minute when freshman Sondre Asheim (Klepp, Norway) served a corner to classmate Jabari Dowell (Manchester, N.H.) to the nearside post and Dowell's header got over the Curry goalkeeper.
• Curry had a chance at the equalizer three minutes later when a Colonels' pass found sophomore Justin Santiago (La Plata, Md.) alone in front, but Cornejo pushed the shot over the crossbar.
• Senior Eli Child (Woodstock, Conn.) nearly doubled the PSU lead in the 26th minute after making a sequence of moves around a defender and firing a shot from the top left corner of the box, but the Curry keeper made a diving stop, and the loose ball was cleared away by a defender.
• The Colonels evened the score in the 38th minute when freshman Evan Lemon (Guilford, Conn.) slipped a shot under the diving Cornejo to the nearside post.
• Plymouth State got the lead right back less than a minute into the second half. Freshman Aidan Beauchemin (North Smithfield, R.I.) made a nice run up the right side before sending the ball up the sideline to classmate Ethan Bryce (Seymour, Conn.). Bryce one-touched a cross into the six and Nilsson slid in to force the ball across the goal line before the Colonels' goalie could get there.
• The visitors had a pair of golden opportunities to pull even but Cornejo came up big both times. In the 57th minute a long pass skipped between the PSU defense giving freshman Alex Bautista (Pawtucket, R.I.) a one-on-one chance, but Cornejo came off his line and got a hand on the bid to the far post.
• Curry's final chance came in the 84th minute when a bouncing ball deflected off a Colonel player right in front, but Cornejo was able to smother the loose ball.

By the Numbers:

• PSU held a slight 8-7 edge in shots and a 7-6 advantage in corners. The Panthers earned five corners in the first half alone.
• It was a game of firsts for the Panthers, as Dowell and Nilsson each tallied their first career goals, while Beauchemin and Bryce had their first career points.
• Cornejo picked up his first career win (1-7-0) after making three saves.
• Asheim took the team lead in points thanks to his assist on PSU's first goal.
• This was the first meeting between the two teams.

Up Next:

• Plymouth State hosts Western Connecticut State University on Saturday (Oct. 9) for a 12:00 p.m. Little East Conference contest.