Firebirds Fade in Second Half, Drop 2-1 Decision vs. NYIT

WASHINGTON, DC – The University of the District of Columbia men's soccer team struck early to gain a 1-0 advantage, but did little more offensively afterwards and surrendered two second half goals in a 2-1 defeat vs. NYIT in East Coast Conference play Saturday afternoon.

The Firebirds (No. 8 East Region), whose last four games have each been decided by one goal, fell to 4-2 overall and 0-2 to start ECC play. NYIT, ranked No. 6 in the East Region, bounced back from a loss to Mercy its last time out to even its ECC record at 1-1 and improve to 4-1 overall.

Senior  Bakary Coulibaly (Electrical Engineering – Bamako, Mali/La Lumiere HS) scored his team-leading fourth goal of the season less than two minutes into the action, breaking a streak of nearly 92 minutes for the Firebirds without a goal after they were shutout by St. Thomas Aquinas their last game. Coulibaly's goal came on a rebound after junior Atunde Akum's (Biology – Beltsville, MD/High Point HS) shot from point-blank range was batted down by NYIT goalkeeper Liam Waddy.

Following that possession, the Firebirds managed only three more shots in the first half – none of them on goal. Still, sophomore goalkeeper Louis Connor made three excellent saves to preserve the 1-0 UDC lead at halftime.

The Bears went on to out-shoot the Firebirds 10-2 in the second half (15-7 for the game) and take six corner kicks to UDC's zero (10-1 for the game). They got the equalizer in the 60^th minute as Matt DiDonna got around a Firebird defender in the box and fired from about 15-yards out to put the Bears on the board.

Connor made two more outstanding, acrobatic saves in the second half to try to keep it a tie game, but Ben Wilson's header to the right corner of the net with a 5:40 left to play put NYIT on top, 2-1.

The Firebirds tried frantically to score in the final minutes, particularly in the final 30 seconds when Connor placed a free kick from midfield into the box. Coulibaly, with his back to the goal, tried a bicycle shot which bounced very high, but into the waiting hands of Waddy, who then ran out the clock without even having to punt the ball.

UDC will look to bounce back as it hosts non-conference foe Mercyhurst on Monday, September 23^rd at 1 p.m. The Firebirds are 4-0 this season in non-league play.