PLYMOUTH, N.H. – After conceding the first goal of the contest, the Plymouth State University men's soccer team came from behind for a convincing 6-1 win over the Fisher College Falcons in a non-conference match on Arold Field Monday afternoon.
Prior to kickoff, Plymouth State recognized the Panthers' senior class for its dedication and commitment to the historic men's soccer program;
Nicolas Cornejo Mora (Durham, N.H.),
David Nilsson (Karlstad, Sweden),
Nolan McMann (Millville, Mass.)
Job Boonstoppel (Amstelveen, Netherlands),
John Christie (Pembroke, Mass.),
Walter Driscoll (Kittery Point, Maine),
Sondre Asheim (Klepp, Norway),
Faisal Abdallah (Accra, Ghana) and
Ethan Bryce (Seymour, Conn.).
In true spirit, it was the seniors who did the heavy lifting. Westerholm opened the PSU scoring with a first half goal to remember on a free kick worthy of the highlight reel and the Panthers did not look back as Plymouth State rattled off six unanswered goals.
Driscoll led the Panthers with two goals and two assists, while Abdallah added a goal and an assist. Sophomore
Vince Cassarino (Tolland, Conn.) recorded the eventual game winning goal with 23 seconds left in the first half and tallied an assist in the winning effort.
Freshman
Colby Cowan (Oakdale, Conn.) scored the final Plymouth State goal on an assist by classmate
Valentijn Buma (Bloemendaal, Netherlands).
Abdallah now sits alone in 10th place as one of the all-time points leaders in PSU men's soccer history with 69 career points.
Plymouth State improves to 7-8-2, while the Falcons fall to 5-9-3.
The Basics:
- Plymouth State 6, Fisher 1
- Plymouth State (7-8-2)
- Fisher (5-9-3)
How it Happened:
- Fisher opened the scoring in the 20th minute on a long-range effort that found the top left corner of the Panthers' goal, giving the Falcons an early 1-0 lead.
- Plymouth State evened things up in the 25th minute on Westerholm's perfectly placed free kick from just outside the 18. His left-footed, bending shot found the top right corner, tying the match 1-1.
- The Falcons tucked home a second goal of the afternoon, but an offsides call erased the tally as the teams remained level at 1-1 late in the first half.
- Plymouth State took the lead with just 23 seconds left in the half as a strong counterattack found Cassarino in on the goalkeeper with only one thing in mind: burying the ball home to give the Panthers a 2-1 advantage just before halftime.
- The late first half goal gave the Panthers momentum into the second half, as Plymouth State scored three goals in the opening 15 minutes to extend the lead to a comfortable 5-1 margin.
- Cowan came off the bench to score in the 78th minute to account for the final score.
By the Numbers:
- The Panthers outshot Fisher 18-14.
- Plymouth State led by a 12-4 margin in shots on goal.
- Corner kicks were in Plymouth's favor, 6-3.
- The Panthers remain undefeated in the head-to-head matchup, 3-0-0, which started in 2022.
- PSU has scored at least five goals against the Falcons in each of the teams' three meetings.
- Cowan scored for the second straight game.
- Abdallah's tally was his tenth of the season, two shy of his career high of 12 set in 2022.
- Driscoll matched a career high with six points.
Up Next:
- Plymouth State closes out the regular season at home on Friday (Nov. 1) against LEC opponent UMass Dartmouth. PSU is one of three teams currently tied for fifth place in the league, with two playoff spots up for grabs.
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