Blue Devils Play to 1-1 Draw With Hartford

The Central Connecticut men's soccer team played to a 1-1 tie with Hartford after losing senior captain Yan Klukowski to a red card with 28 minutes left in the second half. Sophomore Christopher Brown scored the lone goal for the Blue Devils.

Early in the eighth minute Hartford junior Carlos Villa received a ball down the left side. The forward played the ball over CCSU goalkeeper Paul Armstrong's head and into the side panel.

With seven minutes remaining in the first half, junior defender Mersad Sahanic played a long through ball from half field to Brown up the right side. The sophomore forward fired the ball in the left side netting past the outstretched hands of Hartford goalkeeper Nenad Cudic.

In the first half, CCSU out shot Hartford four to two, but the Hawks recorded three corner kicks to the Blue Devils' one.

With 36 minutes left in the game, Central got a great opportunity to take the lead when Armstrong's punt was collected by Junior Hadji Diop. The forward beat a defender and played a cross into the box. Klukowski headed it right past the keeper but it hit off the cross bar and out of bounds.

No more than eight minutes later Klukowski, CCSU's leading goal scorer at this point, was given a red card. The Blue Devils had to then play the rest of the match a man down. Playing 10 on 11, Central Connecticut had many opportunities to score but came up short and finished with a 1-1 tie.

The Blue Devils ended with eight shots to Hartford's 10. Armstrong made six saves to keep Central alive. The Hawks finished with 10 corner kicks while CCSU only had five.

Central Connecticut is now 2-0-1 on the season and will next host the University of Vermont on Friday September 12 at noon.