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F Eivind Austboe puts LIU Post ahead 2-1
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The UDC Firebirds put up a valiant effort against the 17th ranked LIU Post Pioneers, but a costly first-half red card on sophomore Ben Diaz all but cinched his team’s eventual 4-2 defeat. Playing a man down for the entire second half, the Firebirds got within 3-2 on a goal from Adriel Garcia; but couldn’t manage to score the tying goal in the East Coast Conference opener for both teams.
That UDC was able to compete against a nationally ranked team is a victory in itself. Second-year head coach Matt Thompson should be proud of his team’s effort, as the Firebirds actually outplayed LIU Post early on. A crowd of 250 saw UDC play aggressively for most of the first half before Diaz’s penalty put them in a hole they couldn’t dig themselves out of. Before Diaz’s gaffe, the Northwood H.S. grad assisted on UDC’s first goal, a nice header by freshman Moussa Traore with just over 10 minutes left in the first half.
The loss drops UDC to 3-2-1 while LIU Post improves to 6-0. With their impressive offensive firepower, don’t be surprised to see the Pioneers contend for a national championship. The Firebirds travel north to Pennsylvania for a September 17th matchup against Millersville, before returning home to host Bridgeport in an ECC game on September 22nd. No tickets required (that means free) so be sure to head down to the recently renovated Athletic Field for the 3:00 PM kickoff.
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