Coming off the heels of their seven-goal victory over Daemen College five days earlier, the LIU Post men’s soccer team bested Molloy College in overtime, 3-2, on Thursday, Oct. 20, to improve to 12-0-1 this season; dropping the Molloy College Lions to 9-3.
The Pioneers proved once again that they have the ability to win in many ways.
“We have tremendous character,” junior midfielder Harry Pearse, who netted the game-winning goal against Molloy, said. “Being able to come back from behind at Mercy [College], then winning in overtime at Molloy is all down to how much work we put in during pre-season and then the hunger we have as a group to win every game.”
Pearse is second on the team with nine goals and first on the team with shots taken, so he sees his fair share of scoring opportunities.
The winning goal against Molloy was different however.
Pearse said scoring a goal of that magnitude was “an unbelievable feeling” and “one of the best [feelings] a player could ever have.”
Pearse netted the game-winning shot in large part because of senior forward Jason Lampkin and sophomore midfielder Charlie Ledula, who all executed an odd-man rush.
Just a minute into the match, junior back Johan Mauritzson found the back of the net for a quick 1-0 Post lead.
The Lions re-grouped though and evened the score in the 16th minute.
The Pioneers took the lead once again in the 24th minute thanks to Ledula and his team-leading 14th goal of the year.
Just like earlier, the Lions pulled even; this time tying the game late in the second half.
For the majority of the match, the Pioneers held the advantage in ball control and pace.
That was evident in their shot attempts as well; the Pioneers held a 14-9 advantage.
The Pioneers returned to action on Sunday, Oct. 23, against St. Thomas Aquinas College and delivered a 1-0 overtime victory in front of their home fans.
After nearly 100 scoreless minutes, the Pioneers broke the tie and scored the game’s first goal.
Lampkin sent a cross into the box and Ledula took it from there — sending the pass into the mesh for the goal.
The Pioneers earned the win — the 100th minute goal was the culmination of the work done in the first 99 minutes.
The Pioneers held a 17-9 shot advantage, which included four shots to none during the overtime.
In addition to shots, the Pioneers also had 13 corner kick opportunities.
Senior keeper Jesper Malmstrom stopped both shots that came his way and earned another shutout victory.
The Pioneers extended their winning streak to four games, with a record of 13-0-1.
“Staying undefeated is a goal of ours, and we are strong enough to do it,” Pearse said. “We just try and be the best team that we can be every game, and with the personnel that we have, we are strong enough to stay undefeated, and hopefully go all the way.”
The No. 2 ranked Pioneers return to action on Wednesday, Oct. 26 against the University of the District of Columbia.
The home finale starts at 2:30 p.m. at the Pioneer Soccer Park.
This article was originally published in the Pioneer, the award-winning student newspaper of LIU Post, www.liupostpioneer.com, and is republished here by Blank Slate Media with the permission of the Pioneer
Undefeated LIU Post edges Molloy 3-2
By Michael Otero
