Hartford coasts to win at Northeastern
BROOKLINE, Mass. – The University of Hartford men's soccer team coasted to a 2-0 win over Northeastern in its non-conference finale at Parsons Field on Tuesday night. Improving to 9-3-3 on the season, the Hawks have amassed the most wins for the program in nearly a decade.
In addition to compiling the most victories since 2003, the Hawks finished non-conference play with a record of 8-1-2 record. That mark calculates to win percentage of .818, a Division I program record for Hartford.
Held to just seven shots by the Hartford defense, Northeastern falls to 6-6-3.
A pair rookies teamed up to provide Hartford with a 1-0 advantage as Udi Cohen fed Jeff Tryon just 10 minutes in before sophomore Javoni Simms extended that lead two early in the second half.
Sophomore Viltsu Tuumi made his return between the pipes for the Hawks, earning his second shutout in three starts without being forced into action. With its eighth clean sheet of the year, Hartford is just one shutout short of matching the school's Division I record of nine set in the 1984 campaign.
Hartford's defense was stingy in the first half, holding the Huskies to just two looks, none of which forced Tuumi into action. On the other end of the pitch, five of the Hawks' nine opening-half shot attempts were put on goal, with Tryon's first shot of the night getting past Jacob Aduama for the early advantage.
Aduama, who closed out the night with six saves, had already faced two shots prior to the match's opening goal, making rejections on back-to-back scoring opportunities from Anthony Santaga and Simms.
Tryon's marker, his third of the season, was ripped from the right side in the 11th minute on a pass from Cohen. Wearing the Hawk uniform for just the second time in his career, Cohen's first college point helped Hartford end a scoreless drought that spanned over 210 minutes.
Out of the intermission, the Hawks continued to apply the defensive pressure, and that translated into their second goal of the evening. On the counterattack, juniorAleko Petridis pushed a pass ahead in the 57th minute and Simms finished in transition to make it a 2-0 game with his team-best sixth goal of the season.
Hartford held on to that two goal cushion for the remainder of the match, allowing junior Shane Dineen and rookie Quenton Swift to see the first action of their collegiate careers. Cohen and Simms combined for more than half of the Hawks' 14 shot attempts, recording four apiece.
America East action resumes for the Hawks as they continue their three-game road trip on Sunday with a trip to Stony Brook. Game time from LaValle Stadium is slated for 2 p.m.
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