Overtime Winner Sends #16 Adelphi Past Men's Soccer, 2-1, Saturday Evening
Links: Box Score | Game Highlights
NORTH ANDOVER, Mass. – Despite scoring the night's first goal less than five minutes into the game, the Merrimack College men's soccer team fell to visiting No. 16 Adelphi, 2-1, on Saturday evening to loss its first Northeast-10 Conference contest of the season.
The Basics
Score: #16 Adelphi 2, Merrimack 1
Records: Merrimack (8-2-0, 5-1-0 NE-10) | #16 Adelphi (7-1-1, 5-0-1 NE-10)
Location: Martone-Mejail Field | North Andover, Mass.
How It Happened
- 4' – It did not take long for the Warriors to open the scoring. Connecting on a goal for the second straight game, junior Mattia Lanzi (Viterbo, Italy) delivered a free kick to the far post, where senior Connor O'Brien (Sandwich, Mass.) struck a one-timed attempt into the back of the net
- 20' – Winning a corner kick, the Panthers tied things up. The service went to the top of the box, where James Thristino one-timed a line drive through the bodies in front to make it 1-1
- 32' – A flurry of three Merrimack shots over a span of 10 seconds started with a free kick from Joseph Briers (Nottingham, England) directly to Spenser Powell, Adelphi's keeper. The ensuing rebound reached Josue Ruiz Maya (Madero, Mexico), and with Powell off his line, the center back's strike was cleared off the line by a Panthers defender
- 45' – With 50 seconds remaining, reserve striker Aasmund Joedahl (Ridabu, Norway) stole the ball in the attacking third, and whipped a turn-around shot just wide of the near post
- 46 – Adelphi nearly pulled ahead seconds into the new half, but a leaping header from Jaime Cortes Torres (Seville, Spain) flicked a shot over the net and away from danger
- 64' & 72' – Sophomore Tyler Packett (Eastham, Mass.) made two crucial stops – the second of which was from point-blank range off the head of Adelphi's leading scorer – to keep the game squared at one-all
- 83' – Adelphi appeared ready to take the lead, but a left-footed strike skidded wide of the far post after the Panthers got behind the Merrimack back line
- 89' – Again late in a period, Joedahl nearly put the hosts in front with seconds to play, but his shot sailed over the bar
- 93' – Cortes Torres had the Warriors best chance of the extra session, but his header off a cross from sophomore Lars Sund (Stavanger, Norway) rang off the crossbar and out of play
- 98' – The Panthers put the game away late in the first overtime, as Caelan Hueber's header deflected off a Merrimack defender and in to win the game for the Panthers
Inside The Numbers
- O'Brien's early strike marked the left back's second goal of the season, as the senior set a new career high for goals. He has tallies in consecutive games, with each goal coming off a service from Lanzi
- Lanzi's helper puts him in a tie for the team lead in both points (7) and assists (3). O'Brien became the seventh Warrior so far to score at least two goals on the year
- Despite suffering his first-ever defeat, Packett made three saves on the night, keeping the Warriors in the game
- The Panthers entered the night with a shutout streak of over 660 minutes before O'Brien's strike in the fourth minute
- Shots: MER 16 // ADE 12
- SOG: MER 6 // ADE 6
- Fouls: MER 20 // ADE 21
Up Next
The Navy and Gold have a week off before travelling to Southern Connecticut next Saturday for a 1 p.m. tilt.
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