Men Win Third Straight, Move Into First
Obasi and Wilson lead Blue Devils to 2-1 win at LIU Brooklyn
The Central Connecticut men's soccer team moved into first place in the Northeast Conference with a 2-1 road victory over LIU Brooklyn on Friday night. With the win the Blue Devils are now 8-6-2 overall and 6-1-1 in the NEC, good for 19 points. LIU Brooklyn is now 2-11-2 overall and 1-5-1 in the NEC.
The win is the third straight for Central. They are now 6-1-1 in their last eight games. Dating back to last season the Blue Devils are 8-1-1 in their last 10 conference games. They are 13-3-1 in their last 17 NEC games.
The win gives the Blue Devils 19 points in the league and moves them back into first place with two regular season games left on the schedule.
The Blue Devils took a 1-0 lead into the break on the first goal of the season from senior forward Thomas Obasi. Obasi's shot came from 15-yards out on the left side and beat Blackbird goalkeeper Nathan Stockie for the lead at 28:58.
Obasi is second on the team with five assists, but the goal was his first of the season. The Blue Devils held a 5-4 edge in shots in the first half. Senior goalkeeper Anthony Occhialini made a pair of saves to preserve the scoreless half.
The lead reached 2-0 at 55:17 on the eighth goal of the season from senior Reece Wilson. Wilson took the pass from classmate Jessie Menzies, beat a defender on the left side of the box and beat the keeper to the top right corner for the 2-0 edge.
LIU Brooklyn got on the board 36 seconds later, making it 2-1, on a goal from Tanner Sica.
The Blue Devils held a 14-12 advantage in total shots, but the Blackbirds had a 6-5 edge in shots on goal. Occhialini led the defense with five saves in the game.
Central is off this Sunday, and plays again on November 2 on the road at Quinnipiac at 2 p.m. They will finish the season at home, hosting Bryant on November 4 at 1 p.m. on Senior Day at the CCSU Soccer Field.
