PLYMOUTH, N.H. – Sophomore
Walter Driscoll (Kittery Point, Maine) scored twice, and Plymouth State University exploded for five second-half goals as the Panthers cruised past UMass Dartmouth, 5-1, in a Little East Conference (LEC) men's soccer game at Arold Field on Saturday afternoon.
The Corsairs tallied the lone goal of the first half on a penalty kick, but Plymouth State came out firing in the second half. Sophomore
John Christie (Pembroke, Mass.), Driscoll and junior
Faisal Abdallah (Concord, N.H.) each scored in an eight-minute span as PSU stormed in front, 3-1. Freshman
Lucas Hollingworth (Akersberga, Sweden) made it 4-1 in the 68th minute, and Driscoll capped the lopsided win with his second of the day in the 74th minute.
Plymouth State extends its best start in recent history, improving to 4-0-1 (1-0-0 LEC). The five-goal outburst was the most since 2016, while the last PSU team to open the year with a five-game unbeaten streak was the 2005 squad that started the year 7-0-1. UMass Dartmouth drops to 0-3-2 overall and 0-1-0 in the LEC.
The Basics:
- Plymouth State 5, UMass Dartmouth 1
- Plymouth State (4-0-1, 1-0-0 LEC)
- UMass Dartmouth (0-3-2, 0-1-0 LEC)
Top Performers:
How it Happened:
- UMass Dartmouth converted a penalty kick after a foul call in the box to take a 1-0 lead in the 11th minute.
- The visitors would carry the slight advantage into the locker room at halftime.
- PSU pulled even in the 51st minute when a deep cross was misplayed by the UMD goalkeeper. The ball trickled to Christie at the top of the box, who blasted it into the wide-open net to tie the game at 1-1.
- Driscoll gave the Panthers the lead in the 57th minute when he stole a goal kick on the right side and launched a right-footed shot low to the left post for a 2-1 advantage.
- Senior Eric Higgins (Peabody, Mass.) played a long pass to Hollingworth, who found Abdallah streaking up the left side less than two minutes later. Abdallah stepped past the keeper and tapped the ball into the net for a 3-1 lead.
- Sophomore August Westerholm (Stockholm, Sweden) hit the post in the 68th minute and Hollingworth booted the rebound to the back of the net to make 4-1, and Driscoll capped the scoring when he headed in a free kick from sophomore Sondre Asheim (Klepp, Norway) at the back post in the 74th minute.
By the Numbers:
- Driscoll and Abdallah share the team lead with three goals apiece.
- Hollingworth picked up his first career points with a goal and an assist.
- Asheim's assist gives him a team-high seven points on the year.
- PSU's five goals were the most since the Panthers topped Southern Maine by a 6-1 margin in October 2016.
- Plymouth State is unbeaten through its first five games for the first time since the 2005 team started 7-0-1.
- UMass Dartmouth had been 3-0-1 in the last four head-to-head match ups. PSU improves to 22-11-2 all-time against the Corsairs.
Up Next:
- Plymouth State heads on the road for the first time this fall on Tuesday (Sept. 20) when the Panthers visit Johnson & Wales for a 5:00 p.m. non-conference tilt.
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