Husson men halt Beavers Coffin, Ody score second-half goals

BANGOR – If you give up three goals in a soccer game, you probably aren’t going to win too many of them.

But the Husson College men’s soccer team may defy the odds this season.

The Eagles surrendered three goals to North Atlantic Conference rival University of Maine-Farmington Wednesday but they used second-half goals by Shane Coffin and Oscar Ody to subdue the Beavers 5-3.

It was the fourth time in the last seven games that the Eagles scored at least five goals.

“I’m always happy to get a win. I’d much rather have a few shutouts along the way but we’re the kind of team our offense is our defense,” said first-year Husson coach Per Henrikson. “As long as we’re pressuring the ball, fighting for the ball and possessing the ball … the purpose of the game is to score more goals than the other team.”

“They had some very nice crosses and every time they crossed the ball, they were always in the right place and they finished well,” said UMF freshman goalie Brian Lemont.

Husson’s Nattapong Kongsuriya opened the scoring before Joe Conway equalized for UMF.

Kyle James and Michael Hofmann made it 3-1 with goals 8:54 apart before UMF’s Andy Knox curled home a direct free kick with 9.2 seconds left in the half.

Nate Ghelli’s free kick tied it with 36:12 remaining in the second half before Coffin broke the tie 7:31 later.

Conway appeared to tie it with a header but it was waved off because he was offside and Ody sewed up the win with 5:08 remaining.

Coffin’s game-winner was set up by a Kongsuriya pass to Hofmann, whose shot deflected to Coffin.

“Mike took a shot, it hit a defender’s leg and it came out to me. I hit it as hard as I could. I was pretty close to goal. I was at the 6. It would have been a tough shot to stop for anyone,” said Coffin.

“He volleyed it into the upper 90 [top corner]. I didn’t see much of it. I was shielded by a defender,” said Lemont.

Brazilian Ody was a late substitution and it paid off when Patrick St. Hilaire’s cross from the end line glanced off a defender to him.

“I controlled it with my chest and finished it with my left foot. He [Lemont] jumped and almost got it,” said Ody. “When I got in, I played as hard as I could. I’m from Brazil. I can’t stand not playing. I’m glad I got in and played well.”

Kongsuriya set the tone for the game by pouncing on a deflected ball and powering it past Lemont just 3:42 into the game.

Conway tied it by stealing a Josh Bartlett pass, breaking clear and tucking a 14-yarder inside the far post.

James broke the tie with a perfectly-placed curling 32-yarder from the right flank and Hofmann ran on to a loose ball and nestled it inside the far post from 12 yards out.

Knox beat Husson goalie Chris Jackson by swerving his 22-yard free kick inside the post to Jackson’s right and Ghelli tied it when his well-placed 23-yard free kick eluded the diving Jackson.

Jackson finished with six saves on 18 shots for 6-3 Husson (3-0 in NAC), including a pivotal scrambling stop on Craig Cameron’s break-in with the score tied 3-3.

Lemont made 11 saves on 35 shots for the 1-3-1 Beavers, who are 0-3 in the conference.