Lowe Scores Twice in 3-0 win at Quinnipiac
HAMDEN, Conn. – Junior Damion Lowe scored early in the second half and added another goal in the final minute of play to help lead the University of Hartford men's soccer team to its largest margin of victory this season in a 3-0 final at Quinnipiac on Tuesday afternoon. Sophomore Javoni Simms also added an insurance tally in the last minute of play to help the Hawks remain unbeaten in 2013 with a mark of 6-0-2.
Quinnipiac falls to 1-3-3 on the year while Hartford keeps its hot streak alive, posting the program's second-best start in its Division I history.
After coming up empty in the first half with the best scoring attempt coming off the foot of Simms on a free kick 180 seconds before the break, things looked glum for the Hawks in start of the second as they were forced to play with nine field players as Anthony Santaga was dealt a red card four minutes in.
Despite Quinnipiac holding that extra man advantage, Hartford did not deplete, burying three goals in the final 34 minutes of the match, including two from Lowe.
Six minutes after the red card, Hartford scored its first goal of the match on a reset as junior Rohan Roye directed a free kick into the penalty box. After a Quinnipiac head got on the ball, Lowe finished the play, using his head to knock-in the winning tally in the 56th minute.
The marker ended a goal less streak for Quinnipiac keeper Borja Angoitia, who posted 263 minutes of scoreless soccer between the pipes for the Bobcats.
Hartford continued to apply pressure on the Bobcats, forcing the home team to make tough passes by swarming the ball and clogging up the lanes. In the second, the Hawks limited Quinnipiac to just two shot attempts, forcing keeper David MacKinnon into action on one of those occasions. With that lone save, he chalked up his fifth career shutout.
Down the stretch, the Hawks continued to respond and attack the net. At the 87:57 mark, Simms blasted a shot at Angoitia, who was there to make the deflection and force a corner kick. Following back-to-back Hawk corner kicks, the visiting team capitalized on a failed clear advantage by Quinnipiac and doubled its advantage with freshman Jeff Tryon earning his first assist of the year.
After regaining possession, Tryon pushed a pass across the 18-yard box in the 90th minute, and Simms put the finishing touches on the ball, using his left foot to boost a shot to the upper left part of the net for his second goal of the year. Less than 32 seconds later, the Hawks closed out the match with a bang, pushing their lead to three-nil with just three ticks left on the clock.
Lowe's marker, his second of the match and third of the season, was a long one as it came from the midfield line and soared over the Quinnipiac keeper's head as the game clock trickled to zero. With the goal, he recorded the first multi-goal game for Hartford this season.
Hartford finished with a commanding 11-4 advantage in shots, six of which came short-handed in the second half.
The Hawks return home with hopes of keeping their hot streak alive on Saturday, September 28, when they welcome the George Mason Patriots to Al-Marzook Field at Alumni Stadium. The first-ever meeting between the two squads is scheduled to start at 7 p.m.
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