PLYMOUTH, N.H. – Senior
Faisal Abdallah (Accra, Ghana) recorded a goal and two assists and Plymouth State University secured a spot in the Little East Conference (LEC) Men's Soccer Tournament following a 3-0 win over the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth at a blustery Arold Field on Friday afternoon.
Sophomore
Vince Cassarino (Tolland, Conn.) buried what would prove to be the game winner in the 13th minute and the Panthers tacked on two second half insurance goals to lock up a playoff spot for the first time since 2015.
Abdallah sits tied atop the LEC 11 goals and owns a league-leading 28 points on the season, while he also continued to climb up the PSU record books. His 30 career goals are tied for the seventh-most in program history, while his 72 career points are ninth all-time.
Plymouth State (8-8-2, 3-4-1 LEC) will be either the fifth or sixth seed for next week's LEC Tournament, pending the results of the remaining league games. The Corsairs end the season at 3-12-3 (0-6-2 LEC).
The Basics:
- Plymouth State 3, UMass Dartmouth 0
- Plymouth State (8-8-2, 3-4-1 LEC)
- UMass Dartmouth (3-12-3, 0-6-2 LEC)
How it Happened:
- A blocked shot found the foot of senior Walter Driscoll (Kittery Point, Maine), and a string of two quick passes left Cassarino alone on the left side, where he blasted a low shot to the far post to take a 1-0 lead in the 13th minute.
- UMass Dartmouth had a chance to pull even on a close range shot in the 21st minute, but senior Nicolas Cornejo Mora (Durham, N.H.) was up to the task.
- The Panthers controlled play throughout much of the remainder of the first half but were unable to add to the lead as the score remained 1-0 heading into halftime.
- Play evened out early in the second half as the Corsairs pushed for the equalizer, until junior Massimo Korcsog (Ottawa, Ontario) played a long ball through midfield over the UMD back line to Abdallah, who broke free. The Corsairs' defense recovered on a heavy touch, but freshman Valentijn Buma (Bloemendaal, Netherlands) collected the ball and made a move to create space, before flicking a pass to Abdallah alone on the right side where he calmly slipped the ball into the back of the net to double the margin.
- The Corsairs' best chance came a minute later when a header led to a breakout chance, but Cornejo Mora sprawled to his left to deny the opportunity.
- Plymouth State iced the victory in the 74th minute when Abdallah sent a cross to sophomore Lucas Houghton (Ridgefield, Wash.), who chest-trapped the ball and ripped a volley past the diving goalkeeper to make it 3-0.
By the Numbers:
- Abdallah's tally was his 11th of the season, tying him for the league lead in goals.
- Cassarino has scored in two straight games, recording the game winner in both.
- Houghton put home his third goal of the year.
- Cornejo Mora finished with four saves to secure his third shutout of the season and the eighth of his career.
- Plymouth State held a 14-10 advantage in shots and a 6-2 edge in corner kicks.
- PSU improves to 23-12-2 in the series dating back to the 1989 season.
Up Next:
- Plymouth State will be on the road for a first round game on Tuesday (Nov. 5). The Panthers won't learn their official seeding or opponent until the completion of the remaining league games scheduled for this evening and Saturday.
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