Box Score BOX SCORE
When and Where: October 22, 2016 – No. Andover, Mass. (Martone-Mejail Field)
Score: Southern New Hampshire University 2, Merrimack College 1 (2OT)
Records: SNHU 10-3-1 (7-3-1 NE-10), Merrimack 11-4-0 (8-3-0 NE-10)
An own-goal in the 102nd minute helped the Southern New Hampshire University men's soccer team notch a 2-1 double-overtime victory against Merrimack College on Saturday evening at Martone-Mejail Field.
After dominating the first extra session, Southern New Hampshire was banging on the door again when graduate student Yannis Becker (Sittensen, Germany) played a nice ball into fellow grad student Robert Brown (Brussels, Belgium), who sent a cross in from the right toward senior Enzo Giuliani (Toulouse, France) at the left post, but a Merrimack defender, attempting to stop the connection, inadvertently knocked the ball into the net to send the Penmen to victory.
Southern New Hampshire went up 1-0 late in the 23rd minute as freshman Romain Daniellou (Brieuc, France) scored on a shot from 10 yards out just inside the left post after collecting a rebound following a pair of diving stops by Merrimack goalkeeper Tyler Packett on shots by grad student Ryan Simpson (Manchester, N.H.)
The score stayed that way into the second half until Merrimack answered early in the 53rd minute as graduate goalkeeper Nick Zucco (Ludlow, Mass.) made an initial save, but the rebound caromed out to the middle of the box where Oscar Zepeda Cagide sent a low shot into the bottom-right corner of the net to tie the match.
The Penmen nearly won it in the 93rd minute, but a shot from the right side of the box by Giuliani sailed just over the crossbar. In a near mirror image under two minutes later, Brown put one over the crossbar from a little tougher angle on the right.
Notes:
-Southern New Hampshire, which is unbeaten in five of its last six, is now 37-7-2 all-time against Merrimack.
-This was the 10th meeting between the two rivals since the beginning of the 2012 season, with SNHU holding an 8-1-1 advantage, including last season's 3-0 victory in the NCAA Tournament.
- Merrimack, which entered the match having won nine of its last 11, is receiving votes in the latest National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA) Division II Poll.
-SNHU is now 68-6-5 (.892) over its last 79 matches dating back to the beginning of the 2013 National Championship season.
-Zucco stopped four shots, while Packett made five saves for the Warriors.
-Merrimack outshot Southern New Hampshire, 14-11, including 9-3 in the second stanza, and held a 3-2 edge in corner kicks. The Penmen owned a 3-0 advantage in shots in the overtime period.
Up Next:
The Penmen return to action Tuesday, Oct. 25 (7 p.m.) when they play host to Assumption College in match that will air live on NESNplus and NESN National from Larkin.
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