MUNSTER | Mired in a three-game losing streak, Munster was eager to get back to its winning ways, and the way Nick Cossyleon and the Mustangs came out in the second half echoed that statement.
Cossyleon led Munster with a hat trick, and the Mustangs scored four of their five goals in the second half en route to a 5-1 rout of E.C. Central in the opening game of the Munster Sectional.
“We lost our focus a little bit and lost our composure lately,” Munster coach Jim Prasopoulos said. “As a team, including coaches, we haven’t reacted well to it. We’re working on getting on the same page, and I’m working on making sure they clearly understand what my expectations are.”
With a 1-0 lead beginning the second half, the Mustangs struck almost immediately, as Cossyleon scored his second goal of the game to put Munster up 2-0 with 37:52 left in the game.
“We were very attack-minded in that second half,” Cossyleon said. “That’s all you can ask for to score goals.”
Demitri Georgalas put in Munster’s third goal about five minutes later, before Cossyleon put Munster (11-4-1) up 4-0 after corralling a feed from Alex Sikora with 29:52 remaining in the game.
The Cardinals (12-4-1) would prevent the shutout when Jovani Ramirez found the net with 27:10 remaining in the game, but Munster freshman Mladjan Jankovic scored the final goal with 3:27 left in the game.
A 33-minute stalemate to begin the game was finally broken when Cossyleon uncorked a laser beam from 25 yards out past E.C. Central goalkeeper Juneneal Enriquez, giving the Mustangs a 1-0 lead they would take into halftime.
Cossyleon had another shot five minutes later, but a sliding save from Enriquez prevented another goal.
In the first half, E.C. Central had the first two shots, but the Mustangs would end up outshooting the Cardinals 11-5 for the game.
“The first game of the sectional is where you start the momentum,” Cossyleon said. “We set it pretty high and we’ve got to keep our composure, play as a team and not find individuals.”
Please Wait…