Blue Devils Slip to 0-2 in NEC With Loss to Long Island

The Central Connecticut men's soccer team slipped to 0-2 in NEC play, losing to Long Island 2-1 in overtime. Senior captain Yan Klukowski tied the game at one late in the first half, but the Blackbirds' Mohammad Mashriqi scored the game winner on Sunday afternoon in New Britain, CT.

LIU got on the board first, when Mashriqi fed Jukka Lehto up the right sideline. Lehto carried the ball to the baseline and finished it past Blue Devil goalkeeper Paul Armstrong. Klukowski countered eight minutes later when a shot rebounded off the hands of Long Island goalkeeper Adam Janssen. Klukowski finished the loose ball to tally his team leading seventh goal of the season. The forward also leads CCSU with 19 total points.

The second half went scoreless, with only eight shots between the two squads in the period. In the seventh minute of overtime Mashriqi scored the game-winner when he received a backheeled pass from teammate Frank Alesci. The goal marked the senior's fourth of the season.

Armstrong finished with six saves in the match, while Janssen tallied seven. The Blackbirds outshot Central 18-9 and recorded 12 corner kicks to the Blue Devils' two.

CCSU falls to 6-4-2 on the season and 0-2 in Northeast Conference play. The Blue Devils will next be hosting Sacred Heart on Friday October 17th at 1:00 p.m. Long Island improves to 6-5-0 and 1-1 in the NEC. The Blackbirds will be traveling to Pennsylvania to take on St. Francis on Friday October 17th at 3:00 p.m.