Posted: Sep 24, 2022
Auburn, ME - It was a battle of the unbeatens as CM men's soccer welcomed Paul Smith's College. Both teams entered the game unbeaten in the Yankee Small Conference.
Strong winds promised to impact the game. CM began the first half with the wind to their back. The Mustangs applied wave after wave of pressure with the Bobcats struggling to generate any offense, evident by the fact the CM goalkeeper Nyagasaza touched the ball only once in the first half from open play. On the other side the Bobcats keeper Steven Donelly was enhancing his reputation as one of the top goalkeepers in the conference with many important saves.
With 7:08 gone in the first half Dayow Daud picked up the ball in transition in the middle of the field for the Mustangs. He played a through pass for Sasha Bruno to run on to. Bruno dribbled past the defender before shooting with the outside of his right foot high to the right of Donelly. The Mustangs maintained constant pressure and were rewarded with their second goal with 29:08 on the clock. Abdiftah Yussuf continued to create goal scoring opportunities for his teammates, this time crossing the ball from the right to the unmarked Sasha Bruno who finished from close range for his second goal of the game.
In the second half the Bobcats played with the wind at their backs. Despite this potential advantage the game remained even. Nyagasaza and Mustangs defense were tested more in the second half, however the better chances were created by CMCC, with Bruno, Ekal, and Bassa all testing Donelly. The Bobcats keeper kept his team in the contest and the second half would run out with no further scores.
With that win the Mustangs moved to 4-0-2 overall, 2-0-1 in conference to top the conference standings. Suffering their first conference loss Paul Smith's College falls to 5-1-1 overall and 2-1 in conference play.
The CM men's soccer team will travel to Bridgton Academy for a non conference game on 10/3.
