Kissel Reigns Supreme Scoring Five Goals In CACC Quarterfinal Victory

Bridgeport, Conn. – The University of Bridgeport men's soccer team cruised by the Caldwell University Cougars Monday night in the Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference Quarterfinals 8-2. The Bridgeport Attack was highlighted by a 11-point performance from Maximilian Kissel (Wiesbaden, Germany), scoring five goals and adding an assist. The quarterfinal victory send UB through to the semifinals on Friday, November 10^th and improves their overall record to 9-6-3 overall.

The Purple Knights started their offensive onslaught early in the sixth minute as Lucas Sousa (Campinas, Brazil) slipped the ball through to Maximilian Kissel who hit the ball across the goal to the back post first time to take the 1-0 lead.

The game stayed tight until the 24^th minute when Sousa and Kissel combined inside the penalty area before Lucas got a shot off. The shot was saved but Lapo Romieri (Milan, Italy) was quickest to react and passed the ball into the open net to double the UB lead, 2-0.

The Purple Knights would go into the halftime break with the 2-0 lead.

Just four minutes after the restart, Maximilian Kissel scored his second of the day after being played in behind by a sly pass from Freshman Alex Tan(Sr., Vichy, France) and slotting his shot under the Caldwell keeper to extend the lead to 3-0.

Caldwell clawed back a goal in the 51^st minute when Israel Dos Santos Neto received a deflected ball at the top of the box, danced his way through pressure and flicked the ball into the back of the net to shorten UB's lead to 3-1.

Kissel rounded off his hattrick in the 57^th minute after being played wide on the wing by Joao Miranda. Maximilian drove at the Caldwell fullback before opening his hips to curl the ball just inside the far post for the 4-1 UB lead.

Lapo Romieri revisited the score sheet in the 67^th minute, scoring his third goal of the season after Maximilian Kissel found himself surrounded by four Cougar defenders and dinked the ball through to the onrushing Romieri who took one touch and fired the ball past the keeper to the near post, Bridgeport 5, Caldwell 1.

A sixth goal was notched by UB in the 71^st minute by the familiar face of Max Kissel after tapping home the cross originating from Joao Miranda on the left flank.

Caldwell scored their second goal, to close the gap to 6-2 in the 72^nd minute with a Gisle Myrle left footed strike from the right side of the box.

Maximilian Kissel scored his fifth and final goal of the match after Joao Miranda assisted the German for the third time today to make it 7-2 UB. The through ball set up Kissel for the first time, left footed finish for his 11^th point of the day and 21^st goal of the year which puts him on provisional pole as leading NCAA DII goal scorer.

The final goal of the match gave Bridgeport the ultimate 8-2 victory after Junior John Louis (Bridgeport, Conn.) was played in behind after a 45-yard, first time, half volley pass from Joshua Lilly (Grad., London, England). Louis hit the ball first time out of the air up and over the Caldwell keeper and just beneath the crossbar for his first goal of the year.

Up next, UB men's soccer awaits the winner of the Felician University vs Georgian Court University game Monday night at 5 p.m. The winner of that game will face Bridgeport on Friday, November 10^th on Knights Field at 7:00 p.m. in the CACC Semifinal round.

PHOTO BY CLARUS MEDIA