Box Score
BROOKLYN, N.Y. - Junior forward Brice Merwine registered one goal and one assist to lead the LIU Brooklyn men's soccer team to a 2-1 win over conference foe Robert Morris on Friday night at LIU Field. The victory was the Blackbird's first league win of 2013.
LIU Brooklyn (4-7-1, 1-1-0 NEC) trailed the Colonials (6-5-2, 1-2-0 NEC) in shots, 13-18, but it was no matter, as the Blackbirds kept Robert Morris at bay.
RMU's Neco Brett, the NEC's leading scorer, took the first shot of the game in the fifth minute but freshman goalkeeper Logan Keys was there to make the save.
The Blackbirds then switched the momentum, keeping the ball down on the Colonials' side of the field. In a span of just about three minutes, LIU Brooklyn took five shots and earned three corners, but could not find the back of the net.
Both teams continued to battle back and forth for posession until the 43rd minute. A foul call on Robert Morris gave the Blackbirds a free kick just outside the right side of the box. Merwine took the kick and found freshman forward Nathan Stewart, who sent the ball past Colonials' goalkeeper Joseph Kuta to give the Blackbirds' the 1-0 advantage heading into halftime. Stewart now leads LIU Brooklyn with three goals this season.
The Blackbirds carried that momentum into the second half, as Merwine took a shot three minutes in that feel just wide. Less than a minute later, Merwine took a corner kick to keep the ball near the net for LIU.
Sophomore midfielder Nahuel Medina had a shot blocked to allow for another corner kick from Merwine. Sophomore midfielder Tanner Sica had a header opportunity, but the ball hit the crossbar.
But just three minutes later the Blackbirds were able to score again. Junior defender Andre LeBlanc streaked up the right side of the field to feed the ball to Merwine, who took a shot from 20 yards out and booted the ball past Kuta for the 2-0 edge.
The Blackbirds were not out of trouble yet, though, as Robert Morris responded just five minutes later to close the gap to one.
The Colonials' turned up the heat the next 20 minutes, desperate to find the equalizer, but a strong defensive effort from LIU Brooklyn denied Robert Morris the chance.
Eight different Blackbirds took shots in the match, including three from Merwine and two apiece from freshman defender Kevin Lockhart, Sica and Medina. Keys had four saves on the day.
LIU Brooklyn returns to the pitch this Sunday, Oct. 20 when the Blackbirds host Saint Francis U. on Alumni Day at LIU Field. The action kicks off at 2:00 p.m.