GORHAM, Maine - Kody Poplaski converted a through ball from Randy Vang in the 83
rd minute to lift the Rhode Island College Anchormen to a 2-1 win over the University of Southern Maine Huskies in a Little East Conference men's soccer game Saturday afternoon at Hannaford Field.
Scoring his third goal of the season, Poplaski was one-on-one in the box for RIC after a well-played ball in.
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The Records:
Rhode Island College (3-3-2, 2-0-1 LEC)
Southern Maine (2-4-3, 0-1-1 LEC)
Today's game marked the 60
th meeting between Rhode Island College and the University of Southern Maine. RIC leads the series 34-16-10. The Anchormen and the Huskies battled to a 1-1 draw in Providence during the 2025 regular season. Both teams faced each other in the 2025 conference quarterfinals with RIC advancing on penalties (3-1) after a 1-1 double overtime result.
How It Happened:
- In a well-played match from both sides, Rhode Island College took a 1-0 lead in the 32nd minute after an unfortunate clearance attempt results in an own-goal. Outshooting the Huskies 5-1 in the opening half, RIC carried its 1-0 lead into the half time break, as Husky goalkeeper senior Gabe Wagner (Freeport, Maine) made a pair of saves and several strong defensive plays.
- The Huskies evened up in the 59th minute on a well-worked goal. Junior Alex Graver (Freeport, Maine) hit a one-time shot for his team-leading sixth goal of the season. Graver was set up on a perfectly place assist from senior Cole Johnson (Orange, Mass/Ralph C. Mahar).
- With both teams matching each other offensively in the second half with six shots each, the game seems likely headed for a draw, but Poplaski's late goal was the difference.
- The Huskies had a decent look at a last-second equalizer as Graver sent in a corner in the final seconds, but the Southern Maine bid sailed just wide of the net.
The Goalkeepers:
RIC, Elhadji Ndoye (3-2-1), 90:00, 1 GA, 0 Saves
SM,
Gabe Wagner (1-3-2) 90:00, 2 GA, 4 Saves
Inside The Stats:
- Southern Maine and Rhode Island College were identical in corner kicks with three each. The Anchormen had an 11-7 advantage in shots.
Up Next:
Southern Maine hosts UMaine Farmington on Wednesday, September 30 (7:00 pm) in non-conference action. The Huskies are then on the road for back-to-back Little East Conference games at Keene State on Saturday, October 3 (4:00 pm) and at UMass Boston on Wednesday, October 7 (12:00 pm). Southern Maine returns home on Saturday, October 10 (12:00 pm) against WestConn.
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