BOSTON, Mass. – Plymouth State University tied the University of Massachusetts Boston Beacons, 0-0, in a Little East Conference (LEC) men's soccer matchup at James Cotter Field on Saturday afternoon.
The schools battled through wet conditions as neither team managed to break through into the scoreline. Plymouth State executed a perfect tactical mission: defend hard, counter fast, and keep the Beacons from registering a goal.
The Panthers had an opportunity to take the lead on either side of half to steal all three points but could not find the back of the net. Plymouth State left with a confident tie, earning a point against the overwhelming LEC preseason favorite (7 first place votes).
Senior
Nicolas Cornejo Mora (Durham, N.H.) made all five saves needed to secure the shutout.
Plymouth State is now 3-3-1 (0-0-1 LEC) in the season, while the Beacons move to 2-1-4 (0-0-1 LEC).
The Basics:
- Plymouth State 0, UMass Boston 0
- Plymouth State (3-3-1, 0-0-1 LEC)
- UMass Boston (2-1-4, 0-0-1 LEC)
How it Happened:
- It was a relatively quiet start to the first half as the Beacons recorded the games' first four shots in the first 30 minutes, but nothing proving to be dangerous against the Panthers' goalkeeper.
- The Beacons thought they would score the first goal of the afternoon in the 39th minute on a point-blank shot that was saved by Cornejo Mora to keep the game at 0-0.
- Plymouth State registered its first shot of the contest in the 40th minute, a shot that just rose over the bar.
- The Panthers forced a remarkable save from the Beacons' goalkeeper with one minute until halftime, but the goalie was equal to the task to keep the teams even. The match remained scoreless at the midway mark.
- The game started to open to begin the second half of play, but the stalemate continued with 30 minutes left in the contest.
- UMass Boston saw a ball that found the back of the net called off due to offside in the 68th minute, as the teams rolled on trying to break through.
- Plymouth State stood strong defensively for the entire 90 minutes to secure its first shutout of the season, and its first point in LEC play.
By the Numbers:
- UMB outshot the Panthers 12-3.
- Shots on goal went to the Beacons, 4-2.
- The Beacons had 10 corners kicks to Plymouth State's one.
- Plymouth State is now 23-11-7 against the Beacons in head-to-head matchups dating back to 1986.
- The Panthers have a strong 12-4-3 away record against UMass Boston.
- Cornejo Mora recorded his sixth career shutout.
Up Next:
- Plymouth State returns home for a non-conference matchup against Westfield State University on Tuesday (Sep. 24) with a 4:00 p.m. kickoff on Arold Field.
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