BOX SCORE
New Britain, CT – Three Central Connecticut State University players saw the back of the net as the Blue Devils blanked the University of Hartford men's soccer team by a 3-0 final at the CCSU Soccer Field on Thursday afternoon. The loss drops Hartford's to 3-5-1 overall and is the fourth-straight for the Hawks.
Central Connecticut (5-2-0 overall) came out of the gates ready to attack, putting up two quick goals in the opening minutes of the game. The Blue Devils netted the first score with just 47 seconds off the game clock and followed up with the second goal in the 14th minute. Central Connecticut put its final notch on the scoreboard at 77:40, putting the game out of Hartford's reach.
"Central Connecticut won the in-state bragging rights this season," commented Head Coach Dan Gaspar. "We experimented, and it did not go as planned. As coach, I assume that responsibility."
Taylor Morgan started the offense for the Blue Devils, scoring what would be the game winner just 47 seconds into the game. Morgan used a long ball by Robert Cavener to notch his first goal this season.
Sophomore Eduardo Ortiz saw the scoreboard light up again for the Blue Devils at the 13:54 mark. Taylor set up Ortiz with a ball from the right side, behind the Hawks' defense, allowing Ortiz to finish for his second goal of the season.
Central Connecticut put an insurance tally on the scoreboard in the 78th minute, pushing the Blue Devils' lead to 3-0. Mersad Sahanic, a senior defender, tracked down a deflected pass intended for teammate Blaine Veldhuis from Cavener. Sahanic found the ball in front of Hartford keeper Luke Citriniti and knocked in his second goal of the season.
The Hawks went on to outshoot the Blue Devils by a margin of 20-15 and held a dominating 7-0 advantage in corner kicks. Senior Carlos Villa led the Hawks' front line with seven shots, two of which were on target. Classmate Andreas Blamo put up four shots, two of which were stopped by Central Connecticut keeper Paul Armstrong.
Armstrong was forced to make eight stops for the Blue Devils to preserve his first shutout of the season. For the Hawks, Citriniti made his first appearance in goal in 2009, facing six shots and stopping three of them.
"I have no doubt that Hartford will explode in the America East," continued Gaspar. "I believe this because we have consistently outshot our opponents and produced more corners. Luck has not been with us and this team deserves better results."
The Hawks open America East conference play on the road at Albany on Saturday, October 3. The Great Danes hold a slight 4-3-1 advantage in the all-time series. Last season, the Hawks suffered their first home loss as they fell to the Great Danes by a 2-1 final at Al-Marzook Field.
