Box Score NEW LONDON, New Hampshire – The Husson University men's soccer team fell 3-1 to Colby-Sawyer in New London on Saturday.
With the loss, the Eagles drop to 2-4 (1-2 NAC), while the Chargers improve to 4-4 (3-0 NAC).
The home team got off the mark early in the first half when Noah Camelo rose highest to meet a Jake Sykes corner kick in the 8th minute. Following the goal the Eagles worked hard to carve out some goal scoring opportunities enjoying a great spell of possession. However, they would be made to pay for failing to convert any of their chances.
Eight minutes before the interval Colby-Sawyer increased their lead as Ahamed Raji was on hand to clean up a rebound off the woodwork following a misunderstanding between the Husson players in the box. The Eagles provided an immediate response and came close to halving the deficit. D'Nye-Jha Hayward struck the ball beyond Charger keeper Shanke Sacks but his effort was pulled back for an offside decision. The Chargers lead by a score of 2-0 at the half.
Husson came out the traps in the second period with high intensity looking to claw their way back into the contest. The Eagles possessed the ball and tried to create scoring chances. However, Colby-Sawyer all but killed the tie after a successful counter attack on the 70 minute mark. Sattar Amiri did well down the flank and found Denali Sexton at top of the box. Sexton struck a fantastic first time strike into the top corner making the score 3-0.
Husson continued to find a way back into the game as Coach Penny threw in Martin Lidholm, Andrew Wicklund, and Florian Kuehnhold to create some offensive success. They were rewarded in the 77th minute after Kuehnhold threw his body at a ball in the box and was pushed as he reached the ball first. The referee pointed to the spot and Hayward converted the chance reducing the score line to 3-1. The substitutions had an impact on the closing moments but came up short in their valiant efforts to save the game.
Coach Penny had this to say after the final whistle, "It's really a tremendous shame because some of our lads have actually played very well today. However, as a group its simply not good enough. Some of us are just not willing to put in the work rate it takes to be successful in the college game. I have to tip my hat to the boys I threw into the game with the score line at 3-0. It's not easy to watch 80 minutes from the sideline and then have 10 minutes to pull the game back and I respect Wick, Marty, and Flo for giving everything they had. Poor ole Flo must feel like he has been hit by a train. He put his body on the line and has given me food for thought as we move on to Wednesday's game. Collectively we have to take a long hard look at ourselves and determine if we are willing to give what it takes for the cause. As you can tell I am hugely disappointed by the efforts of some of our players and won't allow that negativity to ruin our season. I'll make sure we are ready for war on Wednesday night. MMA are pulling off some good results this season."
The Chargers outshot the Eagles 14-11 in the game. Cody Gross made seven stops for the Eagles while Shanke Sacks made six saves for Colby-Sawyer.
The Eagles return to action on Wednesday night. The team will travel to Maine Maritime Academy for a conference game at 7:00 PM.
