In one of their most aggressive home games of the season, the NVU-Lyndon men’s soccer team took a hard loss against Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts Tuesday afternoon. The MCLA Trailblazers kicked off an early lead that the Hornets could not recover from, ending in a 0-2 shutout. Lyndon sits 1-9 on the season as MCLA improves to 3-5-1.
1:54 into the first half, freshman Trailblazer Cola Bean (#11) headed the ball past Lyndon’s goalie, sophomore Brett Roy, after a long pass from freshman defender Francis Matonga (#20). MCLA took this early goal as an opportunity to maintain control for a majority of the half. Bean would be the key to the second goal thirty minutes later as he quickly passed to senior Trailblazer Junior Florent (#13), who took a straight shot at Roy. The ball bounced off Roy and continued behind him into the goal for MCLA’s second point in the first half.
Frustration grew in both teams during the second half as the Trailblazers refused to give up any goals and the Hornets crowded the opposing offenders. The Hornets’ and Trailblazers’ tempers rose to where unfair grabs at clothing and body parts became familiar feats. Both teams collectively racked up fifteen fouls in the second half. In addition, three yellow cards were handed out: one against Matonga and two against Hornets Garrick Webster (#10) and Robert Wood (#4). But even in the fervent heat, neither team was able to change the score.
Webster and freshman Jacob Baesemann (#7) would be the only two to take a shot at the Trailblazer’s goal once each. Roy would go on to make 7 saves in the net, preventing a larger score gap.
The Hornets look to this weekend for their next chances of victory in two North Atlantic Conference matchups. The men’s soccer team will take to the field at 3:15 PM on Saturday, October 9 against SUNY Polytechnic Institute. Then, on Sunday, October 10, the Hornets will return to the Varsity Field once again for “Senior Day” and their final home game of the season against Cazenovia at 2:15 PM.
Feature Photo by Alexandra Huff || NVU-Lyndon freshman Jacob Baesemann (#7) attempts to dribble past several MCLA defenders.