GL FALLS 2-1 TO NINE-MAN SEACOAST SQUAD

In Greater Lowell’s last game of the season, they faced off against the Seacoast United Phantoms in what panned out to be a battle for last place in the Atlantic Blue Conference.

The first half was a back-and-forth battle with both teams creating chances, but it stayed deadlocked until the 45th minute when Seacoast’s Abdul Aziz Khan found himself wide open inside the box.  He took a touch and hammered home a shot far post, barely beating the Lowell goaltender. This goal gave Seacoast a 1-0 lead going into halftime.

After the halftime whistle blew, red cards were issued to Seacoast’s Emmanuel Smith and Rizy Misiri, leaving the Phantoms two men down for the remainder of the match.

As expected, Lowell maintained possession throughout the second half, having a two-man advantage. However, Seacoast would park the bus and keep Greater Lowell from creating any real chances on goal.

This continued until the 62nd minute when Seacoast forced a turnover and found Garrett Lillie, who outpaced the Lowell defenders and found himself free in the box.  He would slot the ball low and past the goalkeeper to extend their lead to 2-0.

Greater Lowell caught the Phantoms sleeping late in the game and Ado Kawuba crossed the ball to Karl Gauntlett, who was waiting far post and struck the ball one-time into the back of the net, giving Lowell a little hope.

In the 90th minute Lowell would get a free kick near the sideline in their offensive third of the field. The ball was played into the box, bobbled around, and was then handled by a Seacoast defender. The referee blew his whistle and pointed to the spot, but the assistant referee’s flag was up and the call was changed to offside. Seacoast would control the ball for the remaining minutes and finish the game with a 2-1 win over Greater Lowell, leaving them standing alone at the bottom of the table.