PLYMOUTH, N.H. – Plymouth State University defeated the Vermont State University (VTSU) Johnson Badgers, 6-1, in a non-conference men's soccer matchup at Arold Field on Tuesday afternoon.
It was a freshman connection to open the scoring as
Jai Ashiya (Bangalore, India) took a quick free kick and delivered a dangerous ball into the box which fell for
George Bergin (Brentwood, N.H.) who lifted a shot past the goalkeeper.
The Panthers piled on in the first half, with goals coming from freshman
Valentijn Buma (Bloemendaal, Netherlands), assisted by sophomore
Marco D'Addona (Torrington, Conn.), and sophomore
Lucas Houghton (Ridgefield, Wash.), assisted by Buma. Plymouth State built a comfortable 3-0 halftime lead.
Rounding out the second half scoring for Plymouth State were senior
Faisal Abdallah (Accra, Ghana) with one goal and one assist, freshman
Colby Cowan (Oakdale, Conn.) with one goal, and senior
Nolan McMann (Millville, Mass.), who scored the final goal with 18 seconds on the clock.
Sophomore
Cam McMahon (East Hampstead, N.H.) also registered an assist in the second half.
Plymouth State improves to 3-3-0 on the season, while the Badgers fall to 1-3-0.
The Basics:
- Plymouth State 6, VTSU Johnson 1
- Plymouth State (3-3-0)
- VTSU Johnson (1-3-0)
How it Happened:
- The Panthers wasted no time getting on the scoreboard as Bergin blasted a shot back across goal after a quick free kick was taken to put Plymouth State up 1-0 in the 5th minute.
- Plymouth State extended the lead to 2-0 on Buma's finish in the 18th minute. Only 42 seconds after the Badgers' kickoff, Houghton found himself in on the goalkeeper to put the Panthers up 3-0 with 17:10 left in the first half.
- The Panthers did not concede a single shot in the opening 45 minutes of play as the team took a comfortable 3-0 lead into the halftime break.
- Abdallah came off the bench in the second half and scored the fourth goal for the Panthers in the 67th minute.
- Cowan buried the Panthers fifth goal in the 81st minute to put the game out of reach (5-0).
- The Badgers played the spoiler, taking away the Panthers' shutout in the 86th minute to bring the scoreline to 5-1.
- Plymouth State had the last word with McMann's goal with 18 seconds left in regulation.
By the Numbers:
- Plymouth State's freshmen registered six of the 11 points for the team.
- Nine different Panthers recorded a point in the contest.
- PSU outshot the Badgers 24-3.
- Shots on goal went to the Panthers, 9-2.
- The Panthers had 12 corners kicks to VTSU Johnson's three.
- Plymouth State is now 8-1-0 against the Badgers in head-to-head matchups dating back to 1990. The Panthers have won each of the last seven meetings.
- PSU is undefeated at home (4-0-0) against VTSU Johnson, scoring 14 goals in that span while allowing four.
Up Next:
- Plymouth State opens Little East Conference (LEC) play at UMass Boston on Saturday (Sep. 21) for a 12 p.m. kickoff. The match will be played on James Cotter Field.
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