PLYMOUTH, N.H. – Juniors
George Bergin (Brentwood, N.H.) and
Christian Torres (Deerfield Beach, Fla.) each scored twice, but the University of New England scored twice in the final five minutes to earn a 4-4 draw with Plymouth State University in a non-conference men's soccer match at Arold Field on Wednesday afternoon.
Bergin recorded his brace in the opening 10 minutes, including the game's first goal just 29 seconds into the contest. UNE pulled even in the sixth minute, but Bergin restored the lead four minutes later off a long pass from Torres. The Panthers carried their 2-1 advantage into halftime.
Torres scored his first goal of the afternoon in the 52nd minute, blasting a shot off the crossbar and into the net, before extending the Panthers' lead to 4-1 five minutes later.
UNE cut the deficit to 4-2 on a penalty kick in the 68th minute before scoring twice in a three-minute span to pull even with just 1:34 left in regulation.
Plymouth State moves to 4-4-1, while UNE goes to 3-5-3.
The Basics:
- Plymouth State 4, UNE 4
- Plymouth State (4-4-1)
- UNE (3-5-3)
How it Happened:
- Freshman Mohammed Ayari (Lynnfield, Mass.) played a ball through the box, where Bergin made a sliding redirection for a 1-0 lead less than a minute into the game.
- UNE evened the score in the sixth minute on a shot from the top of the box that found the bottom right corner.
- Plymouth State went back in front four minutes later. Torres lofted a long pass over the UNE back line. The Nor'easters' goalkeeper came out to challenge, but Bergin got to the ball first and chipped it past him and into the open net to make it 2-1.
- The Panthers carried their one-goal lead into halftime.
- Early in the second half, Bergin played a ball to Torres at the top of the box, and Torres blasted a shot off the crossbar and into the net to make it 3-1 in the 52nd minute.
- The duo struck again in the 57th minute to extend the lead to 4-1. Bergin evaded a defender at the corner of the box and lifted a pass to freshman Anderson Perez Ramos (Stamford, Conn.) near the goal line. Perez Ramos one-timed the ball across the six-yard box, where Torres deposited it into the net.
- UNE converted a penalty kick in the 68th minute to cut the deficit to 4-2.
- The Nor'easters rallied late, scoring twice in a three-minute span to earn the draw.
By the Numbers:
- Bergin set career highs with two goals, two assists and six points.
- Torres now leads the team with five goals and 11 points.
- Shots on goal were even at 9-9.
- UNE earned eight corner kicks, while the Panthers had two.
- Wednesday marked just the second meeting between the teams; UNE won the first, 2-0, last year.
Up Next:
- Plymouth State returns to Little East Conference (LEC) play on Saturday (Oct. 3), when the Panthers travel to Eastern Connecticut State for a 3 p.m. matchup with the Warriors.
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