JOHNSON, Vt. – The Plymouth State University men's soccer team defeated the Vermont State University Johnson Badgers, 3-1, in a non-conference matchup on Minaert Field Tuesday afternoon.
It was a lopsided stat sheet, as the Panthers combined for over 30 shots and controlled much of the run of play for the full 90 minutes. A Badger goal in the 72nd minute was the Panthers' only blemish in an otherwise flawless effort from the entire team.
Senior
Jacob Santos (Anacortes, Wash.) scored Plymouth State's first goal on a header at the back post off a cross by sophomore
Lucas McCarthy (Richmond, Va) in the 23rd minute. McCarthy proceeded to get a goal of his own on a ball played in from classmate
Massimo Korcsog (Ottawa, Ontario) just before halftime.
Senior
Faisal Abdallah (Pembroke, N.H.) came off the bench in the second half to close out the match on a great individual effort from outside the box to put the game out of reach in the final minute of play.
Freshman
Kole Matta (Castleton, Vt.) and junior
Brayden White (Whitefield, N.H) split time in goal, recording one combined save in the winning effort.
Plymouth State improves to 2-1-2 on the season, as VTSU Johnson falls to 0-6-0.
The Basics:
- Plymouth State 3, VTSU Johnson 1
- Plymouth State (2-1-2)
- VTSU Johnson (0-6-0)
How it Happened:
- Plymouth State brought pressure early, forcing four saves on five shots through the first 20 minutes.
- The Panthers opened the scoring in the 23rd minute when Santos buried a header to go up 1-0 off a lofted cross at the back post.
- Plymouth State extended the advantage to 2-0 with under three minutes left on another cross from the left side that found McCarthy alone in the box for the tap in goal.
- PSU dominated the first half play, holding the Badgers without a shot and taking the 2-0 lead into halftime.
- The Badgers kept the game tight defensively to maintain the 2-0 scoreline. VTSU Johnson mustered just one attempt on goal through the first 70 minutes.
- Soon after, the hosts cut the score to 2-1 on a rebound in front of the goal in the 72nd minute to add some drama to the final minutes of play.
- Abdallah came in as a substitute in the second half and finished the Panthers' scoring with a bent ball into the low right corner from outside the box, putting any attempt of a Badgers' comeback to an end.
By the Numbers:
- PSU outshot the Badgers 38-3 in the contest.
- The Panthers had a remarkable 16 corner kicks to VTSU Johnson's zero.
- Shots on goal were in Plymouth State's favor, 20-3.
- The Badgers' goalkeeper recorded 15 saves.
- PSU eclipsed 30-plus shots in only three of its games last season.
- The Panthers hold a 7-1-0 record in the head-to-head matchup dating back to 1990.
Up Next:
- Plymouth State stays on the road as the team faces Little East Conference (LEC) opponent Rhode Island College Saturday (Sept. 23) afternoon. The game is scheduled to kick off at 1:00 p.m. on Alumni Field.
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