WILLIMANTIC, Conn. – Freshman
Anderson Perez Ramos (Stamford, Conn.) broke a scoreless tie when he tapped home a loose ball that the Eastern Connecticut State University goalkeeper couldn't corral to lift the Plymouth State University men's soccer team to a 1-0 win over the Warriors in a Little East Conference (LEC) match at Rick McCarthy Field on Saturday afternoon.
With just under 25 minutes to play and the match still scoreless, a deflected ball found its way to sophomore
Luke McLaughlin (Topsham, Maine), who fired a shot toward goal that the Warrior keeper could not control. Perez Ramos, who was running toward the far post, pounced on the loose ball and knocked it home to give the Panthers all the offense they needed.
Plymouth State improves to 5-4-1 (2-2-0 LEC), while the Warriors drop to 6-2-1 (2-1-0 LEC).
The Basics:
- Plymouth State 1, Eastern Connecticut 0
- Plymouth State (5-4-1, 2-2-0 LEC)
- Eastern Connecticut (6-2-1, 2-1-0 LEC)
How it Happened:
- It was the Warriors who got the first good chance of the match, when a header off a corner kick was struck towards goal, but freshman keeper Bryant Amaral (Coventry, R.I.) was in good position to make the stop.
- Eastern Connecticut State kept up the pressure, generating seven more corner kicks in the first half, but the Plymouth State defense was solid and didn't allow any of them to turn into dangerous chances.
- After an even start to the second half, the Warriors almost took the lead. A header off a ball sent in from the side of the box hit the bottom of the crossbar and then the goal line, but Amaral was alert and grabbed it to end the attack.
- Just moments later, Amaral came up big again as he denied a low shot from straight away to keep the match scoreless.
- On the ensuing play, freshman Cam Bastien (Rochester, N.H.) took control of a shanked header and found junior Christian Torres (Deerfield Park, Fla.). Torres worked the ball up the field before finding classmate George Bergin (Brentwood, N.H.), who made a move toward goal. The ball deflected off a defender and fell to McLaughin, who fired a powerful shot that the keeper couldn't control. Perez Ramos was there to pounce on the rebound and tuck it home for the game's first goal.
- The Warriors generated two more chances on goal, but Amaral and the Panther backline stood tall and held on for the road win.
By the Numbers:
- The Panthers finished with four saves, compared to two for the Warriors.
- Eastern Connecticut had a slight edge in shots on goal, 4-3.
- The win was PSU's first road win in the series since Sept. 23, 2026, when they won by the same score.
- Plymouth State snapped a seven-match losing streak against the Warriors.
- Plymouth State has now doubled its LEC win total from a season ago.
Up Next:
- Plymouth State settles in for a four-game homestand starting with Keene State on Wednesday (Oct. 7). Opening kick is set for 3 p.m.
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