Box Score PLYMOUTH, N.H. – The Norwich University men's soccer team had its five-game winning streak snapped with a 2-1 overtime loss to Plymouth State on Wednesday afternoon in non-conference action.
Norwich (9-4-1, 5-1-0 GNAC) took the lead in the 24th minute with junior forward Jacob Zimmerman (Litchfield, N.H.) scoring his 10th goal of the season and sixth over the last five games. Zimmerman pounded a rebound into the back of the net after Plymouth State junior goalkeeper Felix Lindberg made an initial save on a shot from junior Moab Schiers (South Weber, Utah). The goal also extended Zimmerman's scoring streak to five straight games.
Norwich outshot Plymouth State 6-2 in the first half to take a 1-0 lead into the halftime break.
However, the second half proved to be a different story as Plymouth State (7-3-1) pulled even in the 70th minute when senior Alex Herbert beat his defender and fired a shot from the corner of the box for his fourth goal of the season to level the score at 1-1. The Panthers outshot Norwich 8-3 in the second half to force overtime.
Juan Rivera was the hero in overtime for Plymouth State, tallying the game-winning goal in the 97th minute. Rivera took a beautiful diagonal lead pass from sophomore Nick Rutherford in the middle of the field and shot the ball just past NU freshman goalkeeper Stefan Skoff (San Jose, Calif.) into the left side of the goal. It was Rivera's third goal of the season and his second game-winner.
Plymouth State extended its winning streak to five games with Lindberg making two saves to earn the victory. Skoff had four saves to fall to 9-4-1 on the season for the Cadets.
Norwich returns home to host Albertus Magnus in a Great Northeast Athletic Conference meeting Saturday at 7:30 p.m. in the Cadets' final regular season home game of 2015. NU will honor its four seniors in a short ceremony prior to the start of the game.
