Dahlin, Bajrami Lead Men's Soccer Past Caldwell, 3-2
BROOKVILLE, N.Y. (Sept. 24, 2009) – Sophomore forward Niclas Dahlin (Kungalv, Sweden) and freshman forward Betim Bajrami (Helsingborg, Sweden) teamed up for two second-half goals, as Caldwell held an early 1-0 lead but C.W. Post men's soccer stormed back to score three goal in the last 30 minutes of play for a 3-2 win over the Cougars.
Caldwell slips to 1-5 on the season, while C.W. Post improves to 3-4-1.
The Cougars struck first in the 19th minute, when senior midfielder Justin Miller (Monroe, NJ/Monroe) fed a pass from the right side of the field to freshman forward Facundo Zalazar (Buenos Aires City, Argentina/San Agustin), who poked in a five-yard shot for a 1-0 Caldwell lead. The score remained 1-0 for the rest of th e first half and more than 15 minutes into the second half, until C.W. Post finally struck for a goal, as Dahlin collected a crossing pass from Bajrami and sent a 10-yard shot past Cougar goalie John Londono (West New York, NJ/Memorial). Just three minutes later, in the 66th minute, a long throw-in from James Stevenson found the feet of Phillip Svensson at the top of the penalty area, who found the back of the net for a 2-1 Pioneer lead.
However, 32 seconds later Caldwell struck again and tied the game at 2 apiece, as Zalazar pulled down a free kick from forward Rob Arena (Sparta, NJ/Sparta) and registered his second goal of the game. But Dahlin and Bajrami teamed up yet again as Bajrami sent a pass to Dahlin, who blasted a 25-yard shot past Londono for the 3-2 lead and eventual game winner.
C.W. Post outshot Caldwell by a 14-11 count and held an 8-4 edge in corner kicks.
Pioneer graduate student goalkeeper Shane Flanagan (Dublin, Ireland) made four saves in goal for C.W . Post, while his counterpart Londono made three stops for Caldwell.
The Pioneers remain on the road on September 30, as they travel to New Haven for a 4 p.m. contest.