Mustangs Down Seawolves 3-0 in Card-Filled Contest

Auburn, ME – CMCC Men's Soccer scored three late goals to knock off SMCC 3-0 in a game that reminded both fan bases how feisty the rivalry can be. There were 15 cards handed out between the two sides in the match-up of top ranked teams in the USCAA, with the #1 Mustangs receiving five and the #4 Seawolves picking up ten under the full harvest moon.

It was a packed house at the CMCC Turf for this highly anticipated match-up, but both teams struggled to find a foothold in the first half. Albie Fozard-Oakes, the USCAA leader in assists, went off injured for Central Maine in just the third minute. There were no shots on target and 12 combined fouls in the first 25 minutes. Ignacio Ruiz Garcia was the first player to go into the referee's book in the 25^th minute and CMCC's Massimo Di Pilato followed him exactly a minute later.

The game's major flashpoint happened in the 38^th minute. Charlie Leclerc was ruled not to have committed a foul in taking the ball off Jil-Emmanuel Sehr and Mohamedi Ngido responded by lunging in with a high left boot, sparking a melee down towards the left corner. When the pile of bodies was finally separated, Southern Maine's Ruiz Garcia and Cristo Vumpa had been given their marching orders, along with Leclerc from the field and Isaac Breau from the bench for Central Maine. Ngido and Kaden Pillsbury also received yellow cards for the visitors. SMCC head coach Noah Riskind was the final red card recipient after a confrontation with the referee, strewing trash in his wake as he stormed off the field.

The Mustangs could not take advantage of their 10 vs 9 advantage over the final eight minutes. Defender Matty Waters picked up a yellow card with 20 seconds left in the half and the ensuing free kick was saved by Cody Cleaveland to send both teams into the break still even.

It was more of the same to start the second half. Sean-Marley Rwabira and Louis Sehr were both cautioned in the 49^th and 54^th minute respectively. Daniel Semple and Waters both sent efforts over the bar, as the hosts looked to press their man advantage, but the Seawolves still looked dangerous using their speed on the counterattack.

Sehr broke through to go one-on-one with Cleaveland but steered his effort just wide of the post in the 55^th minute. That was followed a minute later by Waters launching a shot from the left wing that dipped below crossbar height, sending SMCC goalkeeper Adao Lufumbu backpedaling furiously to catch the ball and just keep it from crossing the line.

The Mustangs gradually began to to move the ball against the shorthanded and tiring visitors as the second half went along. Semple and Matthew Greco both hit the target, albeit with tame efforts, but the game reached the 80^th minute still scoreless.

That changed with a corner kick from Waters. The left back curled an in-swinging delivery with his left foot, finding Semple in the box. The freshman forward met the ball on the volley, sending his shot into the bottom left corner for a 1-0 lead. It was the tenth goal of the season for the Frodsham, England native.

With no choice but to press forward for an equalizer, the Seawolves had gaps at the back to be exploited. Yoan Thériault got the chance to tee up a free kick from just outside the penalty area. The Quebec-born midfielder curled his shot around the wall, with the ball skipping of Lufumbu and into the back of the net, doubling the lead with six minutes to play.

Thériault wrapped up the scoring with his first brace in a Mustangs jersey in the 89^th minute. Lufumbu did well to deal with a ball played over the top to put Mitch Cameron through one-on-one, with the goalkeeper making a diving header outside the box to clear the danger. The problem was the ball eventually deflected to an open Thériault. He laced his left foot through it, lobbing the ball into the gaping goal to make it 3-0.

It was not the last entry on the stat sheet however. Mitchell Maceda received a red card from the ensuing kick-off. The center back was judged to have made contact with his knee on Sehr, as he headed the ball away. And with 41 seconds left on the clock, SMCC's Adawadkar was sent off for a barging challenge on Jacob Donnell, leaving the visitors with just eight players on the pitch at the final whistle.

CMCC improves to 8-0-2 with the victory and completes the regular season sweep of Southern Maine. The Mustangs have now beaten the Seawolves in seven straight meetings. Central Maine remains in first place in the Yankee Small College Conference standings with a 5-0-0 record. They next travel to Concord, NH on Thursday to face NHTI.