WILLIMANTIC, Conn. – Sophomore
John Christie (Pembroke, Mass.) tallied his second goal of the season but Eastern Connecticut State University held off Plymouth State University, 3-1, during a Little East Conference (LEC) men's soccer game at Thomas Nevers Field on Saturday.
Eastern Connecticut built a 2-0 lead in the first half, then extended the advantage in the second half. Christie quickly responded with his goal as he took advantage of an open lane through the middle of the box and launched it straight past the goalkeeper to cut the deficit to 3-1.
Despite playing a man down over the final 23 minutes, the PSU defense halted the Warriors from gaining any additional ground, leading to the 3-1 final score.
Plymouth State slips to 5-7-3 (1-5-2 LEC), while the Warriors move to 9-5-2 and 5-2-0 in conference play.
The Basics:
- Plymouth State 1, Eastern Connecticut 3
- Plymouth State (5-7-3, 1-5-2 LEC)
- Eastern Connecticut (9-5-2, 5-2-0 LEC)
How it Happened:
- Junior Faisal Abdallah (Concord, N.H.) was off to a hot start as he breezed through the opposing defense and made a shot but it was saved by the goalkeeper.
- Classmate Nicolas Cornejo (Durham, N.H.) made a huge save for the Panthers, but Eastern Connecticut came back after another few attempts before scoring the first goal of the game in the 10th minute.
- The relentless ECSU squad managed another goal before the half to make it 2-0.
- The hosts scored once more in the second half, but Christie responded quickly with a goal of his own to cut the deficit to 3-1.
- The Panthers' defense was impressive in the final portion of the game as they played a man down over the final 23 minutes without allowing ECSU to get another shot past the goalkeeper.
By the Numbers:
- Plymouth State was outshot by a 10-3 margin in shots on target.
- Cornejo recorded seven saves, making his 11th game with at least five saves this fall.
- Eastern Connecticut took all 16 of the game's corner kicks.
- Both of Christie's career goals have come this season.
Up Next:
- The Panthers visit NVU-Lyndon on Tuesday (Oct. 25) for a 3:00 p.m. non-conference clash with the Hornets.
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