Men's Soccer Drops NEC Opener

The Central Connecticut men's soccer team dropped to 4-6 overall and 0-1 in Northeast Conference play with a 2-1 road loss at LIU Brooklyn on Friday night.  The game was the conference opener for both schools.

All of the scoring came in the first half, including the first two goals of the game that were scored by LIU Brooklyn.  Brice Merwine scored 1:50 into the game, beating CCSU goalkeeper Josef Abele, with his eighth goal of the season.

Merwine scored his second goal of the game, and ninth of the year, at 25:11 to push the Blackbird lead to 2-0.

The Blue Devils answered on the second goal in as many games from senior Keir Hannity.  Hannity, who scored on a penalty kick against Dartmouth, cut the lead in half with his third goal of the season.  The assist came from senior Stephen Walmsley.

Central could not find the back of thr net again, however, as Cole Palmer and Logan Keys combined to make nine saves in net for the Blackbirds to secure the win in the conference opener for both teams.  Central held a 22-16 advantage in shots, including 10-6 in shots on goal.

Abele made four saves in goal for the Blue Devils in the loss.

The game featured eight cards, including seven yellow and one red.  Seven came in a tight second half of play.  The Blue Devils had a pair of yellow cards in the loss.  They also held a 5-3 edge in corner kicks.

The Blue Devils return to NEC action on Sunday at 1 p.m. hosting Sacred Heart on the CCSU Soccer Field.