Waterville, ME – The Central Maine men's soccer team picked up a 1-0 win in its first road game of the season, knocking off NCAA Division III opponent Thomas College in early season action. David Nzuzi scored what proved to be the game-winner early in the second half for the Mustangs.
The Terriers did have the better start to the match, nearly knocking in the game's first goal less than a minute in. Thomas' David Ivarsson was played through on goal from a pass out of the Terriers own half that beat the offside trap. But Mustangs goalkeeper Cody Cleaveland sprinted to the top of the box and got his right knee to the shot to keep it out.
Thomas ended up getting off eight shots and putting four on target in the first half, but the goalkeeper from Richmond, ME was equal to the task and kept everything out in the first 45 minutes.
With a 0-0 score at the break, the Mustangs wasted very little time after the restart before taking the lead in the 50th minute.
Jeremiah Gomez threaded a pass forward to Ivan Domingues who still had a lot to do outside the penalty area. The junior forward outwaited one Thomas defender, shrugged off a shoulder-to-shoulder challenge from another, dribbled around a third near the end line, before cutting the ball back to a wide open Nzuzi.
The sophomore from Brunswick High School smashed home his shot to the top corner, just inside the near post, to make it 1-0 CMCC. Then it was off towards the corner flag for his usual acrobatic front-flip celebration.
Thomas would press for an equalizer in the second half. In the 66th minute, a Terriers' corner kick set up Ivarsson for a volley on the edge of the area. The freshman from Iceland's shot was headed toward the corner, only for Mitch Cameron to clear the ball off the line and scramble it away to safety.
From there, neither team was able to muster many scoring opportunities and the Mustangs held out until the final whistle to earn their first clean sheet of the 2024 season.
"It was no easy task against a good team like Thomas," said head coach Dalton Wing. "They're well coached and gave us a battle. That should help set the tempo for us for the rest of the season."
The match also saw CMCC go up against its former head coach and now Thomas assistant coach Kiaran McCormack for the first time. The Mustangs got the better of their former leader, who guided the team to back-to-back YSCC championships and appearances in the USCAA national tournament.
The two schools go head-to-head once again later on in the fall when CMCC hosts Thomas in Auburn for a game on Monday, September 16th at 6:00 pm.
