DANBURY, Conn. – The fifth-seeded Plymouth State University men's soccer team put forth a strong effort but fell to the top-seeded and regular season champion Western Connecticut State University Wolves, 4-1, in a semifinal match of the Little East Conference (LEC) Men's Soccer Tournament at the Westside Athletic Complex on Thursday night.
In a season to be remembered, Plymouth State completes its 2024 campaign with a 9-9-2 record, the team's most wins since the LEC regular season championship team in 2015. PSU also recorded 42 goals, the most for a Panther team since the 2008 season (43). Despite the loss, the team vastly outperformed LEC expectations, as the Panthers were predicted to place 8th in the preseason poll.
It was only the second time since 2008 where three players recorded double-digit points in the same season. Seniors
Faisal Abdallah (Accra, Ghana),
Walter Driscoll (Kittery Point, Maine), and
Sondre Asheim (Klepp, Norway), registered 28, 13, and 11 points, respectively.
Head Coach
Rob Wright heads into his 24th year at the helm for the Panthers in the 2025 season, which will place him as the longest tenured head coach in Plymouth State men's soccer history.
The Wolves will advance to the LEC Championship game on Saturday at home against the third-seeded Anchormen from Rhode Island College.
The Basics:
- Plymouth State 1, WestConn 4
- Plymouth State (9-9-2)
- WestConn (15-4-2)
How it Happened:
- The Panthers had the first good opportunity of the game in the eighth minute on a Driscoll shot that whistled over the crossbar.
- WestConn responded with three straight shots, including a wide open opportunity that the Wolves' striker shanked high in the 13th minute.
- The Wolves broke through in the 27th minute on a cross from the right side which found the midfielder for a one-time finish to the near post, giving WestConn an early 1-0 advantage.
- WestConn doubled the advantage in the 39th minute (2-0) on a rebound after a spectacular first-save by senior goalkeeper Nicolas Cornejo Mora (Durham, N.H.).
- Plymouth State closed the gap to 2-1 in the 62nd minute on a dangerous corner kick delivered by sophomore Hunter Holland (Hampton, N.H.) that deflected off a WestConn defender and into the back of the net.
- The Wolves put home the insurance goal in the 74th minute to extend the lead to 3-1.
- With Plymouth State throwing numbers forward in an attempt to cut into the deficit, the Wolves countered quickly, tallying the final goal of the evening on a breakaway to seal the 4-1 victory and a ticket to the LEC championship game.
By the Numbers:
- The Wolves had a 23-7 advantage in shots.
- Plymouth State recorded five shots on goal.
- WestConn registered nine corner kicks to the Panthers' four.
- Abdallah ends his career top ten in scoring (points) and goals all-time in PSU men's soccer history.
- Asheim and Abdallah are the first teammates to record double-digit points in the same season twice in a career (2024, 2022) since at least 2007.
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