WILLIMANTIC, Conn. – Senior
Nolan McMann (Millville, Mass.) struck a wonderfully timed goal to put the Plymouth State University men's soccer team ahead in the second half, but the Eastern Connecticut State University Warriors managed two goals in the final three minutes to steal a 2-1 victory in a Little East Conference (LEC) match at Rick McCarthy Field on Saturday afternoon.
Both teams had chances to break what was a stalemate until the 69th minute, but senior
Faisal Abdallah (Accra, Ghana) found his classmate at the top of the box and McMann bent a shot into the far corner to give Plymouth State a 1-0 lead.
The Panthers looked to have secured the LEC win, but goals in the 87th and 88th minute lifted the Warriors to a shocking conference victory. Senior
Nicolas Cornejo Mora (Durham, N.H.) made seven saves in the losing effort.
Plymouth State falls to 5-8-2 (2-4-1 LEC), while the Warriors improve to 3-7-3 (1-4-1 LEC).
The Basics:
- Plymouth State 1, Eastern Connecticut 2
- Plymouth State (5-8-2, 2-4-1 LEC)
- Eastern Connecticut (3-7-3, 1-4-1 LEC)
How it Happened:
- After mostly midfield play for both teams to start the game, Eastern Connecticut presented the first good chance of the contest rifling a shot against Cornejo Mora's left post midway through the first half.
- Minutes later, lightning struck twice as another Warriors' shot off the post was turned away as the game remained scoreless with less than 20 minutes to go in the first half.
- The Panthers forced three saves from the opposing goalkeeper in the first half, but the scoreline remained empty as the referee whistled for halftime.
- Plymouth State broke the deadlock in the 69th minute as McMann prepped a touch to his right foot, scoured the goal to find an opening, and bent a ball past the diving goalkeeper into the far post to put the Panthers up 1-0.
- The Warriors pressed for a game-tying opportunity which came to life in the 87th minute as a bouncing ball found the back of the Panthers' net to tie the game at 1-1.
- Under two minutes later, the Warriors were able to steal the three points, completing the comeback to secure a 2-1 victory.
By the Numbers:
- The Warriors outshot Plymouth State 21-16.
- Eastern Connecticut edged the Panthers by a 9-8 margin in shots on goal.
- The Warriors had a season high of 15 corner kicks to the Panthers' two.
- With the comeback win, the Warriors have now won six straight against the Panthers.
- The Panthers have one conference game remaining in a potential must-win situation against UMass Dartmouth to earn a playoff bid.
- Plymouth State is 16-20-3 in the head-to-head matchup dating back to 1986.
Up Next:
- The Panthers host VTSU Lyndon next Saturday (Oct. 26).
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