BOSTON, Mass. – Junior
Nicolas Cornejo (Durham, N.H.) finished just two saves shy of a career high, but UMass Boston used a strong second half to top Plymouth State University, 5-0, in a Little East Conference (LEC) men's soccer game at James Cotter Field on Saturday afternoon.
The Panthers put together an impressive first half, trailing just 1-0 at the intermission with several chances to net the equalizer late in the half. UMass Boston doubled the lead early in the second half, then pulled away late to account for the final score.
Plymouth State moves to 4-2-1 (1-1-0 LEC), while the Beacons improve to 5-2-1 and 2-0-0 in conference play.
The Basics:
- Plymouth State 0, UMass Boston 5
- Plymouth State (4-2-1, 1-1-0 LEC)
- UMass Boston (5-2-1, 2-0-0 LEC)
How it Happened:
- The Beacons got on the board in the 25th minute for the early lead.
- Plymouth State hung tough but was unable to solve the UMass Boston goalkeeper.
- Sophomore David Nilsson (Karlstad, Sweden) had his game-tying bid stopped in the 28th minute.
- Cornejo made several strong saves to keep the margin at one.
- Freshman Adam Stelljes (Scituate, Mass.) had perhaps the best scoring chance for the Panthers on a volley in the 32nd minute, but again the Beacons' keeper came up big.
- Junior Faisal Abdallah (Concord, N.H.) and freshman Lucas Hollingworth (Akersberga, Sweden) had shots miss just high late in the half.
- The hosts doubled the lead just over six minutes into the second half, then pulled away with three late goals.
By the Numbers:
- Through the first half, shots were nearly even with UMB taking nine to the Panthers' six.
- Cornejo's nine saves were just short of his career best of 11, accomplished twice last fall.
- Plymouth State's last win over the Beacons came in the 2015 season, though the team earned ties in both 2018 and 2019.
Up Next:
- Plymouth State stays in conference play on Wednesday (Sept. 28) when Keene State visits Arold Field for a 3:30 p.m. contest. The teams will be playing in Plymouth for the first time since 2017.
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