Auburn, ME - The Mustangs continued their recent good form as they beat NHTI on Indigenous Peoples Day by a score of 3-0.
Both teams came into this contest with weekend wins. The Mustangs beat Paul Smiths and NHTI beat Hampshire. The Lynx came to Auburn with a plan to disrupt and pressure the Mustangs fluid passing game. For much of the game this plan worked and CM struggled to establish their typical rhythm of play, turning the ball over in an uncharacteristic fashion.
Ivan Domingues gave CM the lead with 38:30 left in the first half. Intricate passing in midfield by Bimvy and Gomes resulted in a through ball for the pacy Nzuzi to run on to. His early cross was cleared back to his feet. His second cross from a deeper angle was not cleared by the NHTI defense and Ivan pounced on the loose ball firing low to the bottom left corner of the goal for his 19th of the season. Despite taking the early lead the Mustangs failed to score further and the Lynx continued to execute their high press game plan, testing Nyagasaza on many occasions.
The second half started in the same manor as the first, however as the game wore on the Mustangs began to establish a foothold of possession. It wasn't until midway through the second half they were able to translate this into a 2nd goal. Bimvy dropped back into a deeper position in midfield to win the ball, where he showed a great piece of individual skill before playing a through ball to David Nzuzi. Nzuzi found himself in space and dribbled at pace into the box before dispatching a hard placed shot to the bottom left of the goal. This was Nzuzis 5th goal of the season, to add to his impressive 8 assists.
With 6:22 left on the clock Bimvy who was at the heart of most attacks for the Mustangs, tallied his 5th goal of the season. A goal kick was won by Justin Violette whose quick pass found Ivan Domingues' feet. Bimvy had already made his run forward and a clever back heel by Ivan found Bimvy one on one with the goalkeeper. Bimvy slotted the ball to the right of the keeper to cap off a 3-0 victory for the Mustangs.
With the win the Mustangs are now 5-0 in conference play scoring 26 goals and conceding none. They move to 8-1-1 for the season. The Lynx fall to 4-3 in conference and 5-6 overall for the season.
The Mustangs entertain SMCC Seawolves on Thursday at 4pm in Auburn in a top of the table clash. The winner will be crowned YSCC Regular Season Champions and the #1 seed for the upcoming YSCC Conference Tournament.
