Christopher Boulay / The Recorder
CCSU men’s soccer finished off their Spring Season on a high note with a 4-0 victory over Hartford United, giving the Blue Devils a 4-1-1 record for the Spring.
CCSU was only able to take a 1-0 lead into halftime when Robert Cavener’s free kick was nudged by Hadji Diop and easily went past the United Goalkeeper for the lead.
Coach Shaun Green was pleased with the effort by his team, especially throughout the entire Spring Season.
“[Winning 4-0] was a good way to end the season,” said Green. “We fell to their level during the first half, mirroring their style. But we have had a great season playing with our style.”
After halftime, the scoring floodgates opened, as Cavener passed across the face of goal and connected with Christopher Brown for a 2-0 lead.
“The goal was alright. It was a lot of work for [Cavener]. I just had to finish,” Brown said.
Cavener finally netted one of his own after tapping the ball right under the keeper for the third goal of the match.
Colin Nicholas added a spectacular strike that rounded out the scoring late in the second half.
“We have done well and only lost one game. The victory over [Western Massachusetts] was the highlight,” Brown said. “Hopefully we will take this form and use it as a stepping stone.”
Hartford United, a member of the Connecticut Soccer League that consists of mostly Jamaican players, in the fifth tier of the American Soccer Pyramid, moved the ball well throughout the match, but as the score line got wider, the team was visibly more frustrated. United received four cards, including two men sent off in the match.
“It was nice to play a team with a Jamaican style. The season has concluded great,” Green said.
Goalkeeper Chris Jones played the first half, while Paul Armstrong stood in net for the second half.
“We were not caught offside all game,” Green said. “Cavener played well, [Nicholas] had a great goal, Jones played well [in net] and [Aaron] Durr and [Jared] Spieker impressed as well.”
The match was suspended shortly before the 90th minute by the referee’s decision. Ryan Covey was hit with a hard slide tackle and was on the ground for an extended period of time. One of Hartford United’s red cards were handed out for the offense.
The Blue Devils begin season play against Vermont on Sept. 4 at the University of New Hampshire. Their home opener is against Holy Cross on Sept. 12.