FROM STAFF REPORTS The CCRI Men' s Soccer team hosted the Mustangs of Central Maine Community College for the Knights home Opener on Sunday afternoon at the CCRI Soccer Complex in Lincoln, RI.  

The Knights lost to the Mustangs 1-0. With the loss CCRI falls to 5-2 on the season.

The Knights won their first encounter with the Mustangs 4-2 in Auburn, ME to kick off the season Sept. 3. The Knights had two games this weekend and their goal was to go 2-0 for the weekend. 

Ten minutes into the game Central Maine forward Mohamed Abdikadir stole the ball in the Knights defensive half and saw Knights’ goalkeeper Alex Johnson (West Warwick, RI) off his line and took a chance on chipping it over his head.

This bold chance paid off as to ball hit the back of the net to give the Mustangs the 1-0 lead in the game. In the first half the Knights struggled to get into a rhythm as the Central Maine midfield was allowed to flow and the Mustangs were given too much time to pass the ball around. CCRI went into the halftime break trailing 1-0. 

In the second half the Knights marked up a little better and were able to get into a bit of a flow themselves. The better defense and man-marking led to offensive opportunities up top for the Knights. Ricardo Foster (Cranston, RI) and Joe Dorce (Providence, RI) had some chances on goal but were unable convert them to tie the game. 

Knights midfield improved in the second half as midfielders were able to get up into the offensive third of the pitch. Joustin Rivera (Providence, RI) and Sebastian Coso (Pawtucket, RI) had good games pushing up the wings for the Knights creating more offensive opportunities for CCRI. 

The best opportunity for the Knights came in the closing seconds. With just 10 seconds left in the match, the Knights were fouled at the top of the penalty box. Aaron Ramos (Warwick, RI) had a chance to tie the game with a final minute free kick. Ramos's shot went wide and did not get on the frame.  The Knights fell by the final count of 1-0 in this hard fought contest.

The next home Men’s Soccer event scheduled is a scrimmage versus AIC’s JV squad at 4 p.m. on Friday Oct. 8. The next official game for the Knights will be Saturday the 9th when they host the Bayhawks of Bristol Community College at 1 p.m.