BOSTON, Mass. – The Plymouth State University women's soccer team fell to the University of Massachusetts Boston Beacons, 2-1, in its Little East Conference (LEC) opener on James Cotter Field Friday evening.
The Beacons scored first in the 20th minute to go up 1-0 off a corner kick, then doubled their lead in the second half to put Plymouth State in a 2-0 hole with 30 minutes left to play. The Panthers wasted no time to cut the game to 2-1 when sophomore
Tindra Bergstrand (Taby, Sweden) buried a header goal crossed in by graduate student
Kaliana Palhof (Loudon, N.H.). Minutes later, Palhof nearly tied the game on a breakaway that forced a diving save from the Beacons' goalkeeper.
Bergstrand has recorded five points in the last two games for the Panthers. Freshman goalkeeper
Sydney Rowe (Cañon City, Colo.) recorded seven saves in the losing effort.
Plymouth State now goes to 1-3-2 (0-1-0 LEC) on the season as UMass Boston improves to 2-2-1 (1-0-0 LEC).
The Basics:
- Plymouth State 1, UMass Boston 2
- Plymouth State (1-3-2, 0-1-0 LEC)
- UMass Boston (2-2-1, 1-0-0 LEC)
How it Happened:
- The game started with both teams feeling each other out with much of the play stuck in a midfield battle.
- Plymouth State put the Beacons under pressure first, earning two corner kicks and forcing the Beacons' goalkeeper to make a diving save in the 16th minute to keep PSU off the board.
- The Beacons scored on their first chance of the game on a corner kick in the 20th minute to go up 1-0.
- PSU had a couple of chances in the remainder of the back-and-forth first half, but the score stayed 1-0 at halftime.
- In the 61st minute, UMB doubled its lead to 2-0 when a free kick went deep into the box and got deflected back in front of goal where the Beacons' striker buried it from three yards out.
- Plymouth State didn't back down, cutting the deficit to 2-1 just two minutes later when Bergstrand finished a header off a Palhof cross from the left side.
- Palhof broke in on the goalkeeper in the 71st minute and nearly tied the game but her shot to the back post was matched by a save as the ball trickled alongside the goal line and kept in play.
- The Panthers pushed to tie it late but could not come up with the equalizer in the end.
By the Numbers:
- UMB outshot PSU 18-6 in the contest.
- Both teams recorded four corner kicks.
- Shots on goal were in the Beacons' favor, 9-3.
- Bergstrand is the first player to score in consecutive games for the Panthers since sophomore Molly Bellmore (Hebron, Conn.) opened her collegiate career with goals in her first three matches last season.
- The Panthers are now 15-12-2 against UMB dating back to the 1995 season.
Up Next:
- The Panthers will have a week off to prepare for their first home LEC game, facing off against Rhode Island College next Saturday (Sept. 23). Kickoff is scheduled for 1:00 p.m. on Arold Field.
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