DANBURY, Conn. – Junior
Nicolas Cornejo (Durham, N.H.) made five saves and Plymouth State University battled league-leading and unbeaten Western Connecticut State University throughout, but the Wolves were able to squeak out a 2-0 win in Little East Conference (LEC) men's soccer action at Westside Athletic Complex on Saturday.
Cornejo made a pair of saves and the Plymouth State defense dug in to hold the high-powered Wolves scoreless in the first half. PSU had a pair of late chances in the closing minutes of the half, but the game went into the break scoreless.
WestConn got on the board in the 50th minute and the Panthers were unable to net an equalizer. The hosts tacked on an insurance goal in the 85th minute to account for the final score.
Plymouth State slides to 4-5-2 (1-3-1 LEC), while WestConn stays unbeaten at 13-0-0 and 5-0-0 in league play.
The Basics:
- Plymouth State 0, WestConn 2
- Plymouth State (4-5-2, 1-3-1 LEC)
- WestConn (13-0-0, 5-0-0 LEC)
How it Happened:
- Cornejo was tested twice in a three-minute span, but the goalkeeper came up with a pair of big saves part way through the opening half.
- WestConn attempted to pressure, but the Panthers' defense limited the hosts opportunities.
- Plymouth State had a pair of opportunities late in the half, but a blast by freshman Lucas Hollingworth (Akersberga, Sweden) was turned aside by the Wolves' goalkeeper.
- Junior Faisal Abdallah (Concord, N.H.) had a follow up shot less than a minute later sail wide and the game would remain scoreless into halftime.
- WestConn opened the scoring on a shot from 15 yards out on the left side of the box in the 50th minute.
- The Panthers' best chance at an equalizer came in the 72nd minute when sophomore David Nilsson (Karlstad, Sweden) had an open shot on the left side, but the keeper was up to the challenge.
- The hosts added an insurance goal in the 85th minute to close out the game.
By the Numbers:
- The PSU defense forced WestConn to misfire on several shots. Only seven of the Wolves' 20 shots were on goal.
- Plymouth State had seven shots on goal in the contest.
- Cornejo has made five-plus saves in ten of his 11 appearances this season.
- Hollingworth led the Panthers with a pair of shots.
- WestConn entered the game seventh in the United Soccer Coaches Region I rankings.
Up Next:
- Plymouth State has a pair of important LEC games next week, starting with a trip to Southern Maine on Wednesday (Oct. 12) at 7:00 p.m.
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