St. Petersburg, FL – The Eckerd Triton women's soccer team (0-4-1, 0-1 SSC) looked to improve their record Saturday night at the Turley Athletic Complex against the Lions of Saint Leo University (2-0-1, 1-0 SSC). The Tritons battled until the final buzzer but could not overcome the pre-season SSC favorites, leaving the pitch on the losing end of a 6–0 score.
Both teams were able to move the ball across the pitch but it was the Lions that drew first blood in the 19th minute on an unassisted goal by Jasmine Johnson.
The Tritons came back looking to score led by freshman
Spencer Janicki who took two shots in the first half and three total for the game. The Lions, though, were able to score again in the 33rd minute off of an assist by Chrissy Darwell to Dari Alcantara.
Both teams were called off the field in the 34th minute because of lightning which caused a one-hour delay in the game.
When play resumed, both teams worked to establish presence in the other team's zone as the half expired. The Tritons' freshman goalkeeper
Kelly Zahorski, in her third career start, gathered four saves in the first half.
The second half opened with both teams working hard to gain momentum. Unfortunately, the Lions were able to get another score on a 25-yard chip over Zahorski's head by Malloree Enoch in the 54th minute, making the score 3–0.
The Tritons continued to battle for position on the pitch. They were able to get down the field numerous times and put themselves in position for scoring opportunities. The Lions, however, scored again in the 69th minute on a cross from the right wing to the near post off of a volley in the air by Rachel McQuade.
In the 76th minute, the Lions were able to sneak past the Tritons' defense as Pia Soesemann, knocked in a goal.
The Lions scored the final goal of the game in the 85th minute as Hannah Beard was able to beat the Tritons defense for the score.
Zahorski finished the match with nine saves and now has 24 for the season. Janicki is second on the team in shots and now has seven for the year.
The Tritons will return to the pitch next at home verses Florida Southern on Tuesday, September 22nd. Game time is 7pm, Eastern Time.
Interview with Eckerd's Women's Soccer Coach Joe McCauley after the game versus Saint Leo University
By Kirsten Sengstacke
On the energy going into the game…
“I feel like the team definitely felt motivated. Going into the game we kind of knew what our situation was. Obviously they [Saint Leo] were pre-season pick number one so we felt like we are going to come out and play the game of our life against them and do the best that we can, and I feel like we put together some good things that showed that at times. The issue is remaining consistent throughout.”
On what factors attributed to Eckerd's loss…
“They have some speed that we don't have, their flank players are particularly fast and we struggled to match up with their speed in a couple of key positions. To their credit they are technical and fast, so it's always hard to play a team that can do certain things that well at that kind of pace and that kind of level. I think overall we matched up pretty well for probably a good 60 minutes and as the game drew on we got a little tired from chasing them at that speed, and its going to take its toll at some point. The girls overall did a very good job at managing it. Once we started breaking down, it was probably a little bit of focus and a little bit of fatigue setting in which is kind of normal. Other than that they did pretty good I think.”
On the delays during the game due to lightning…
“Honestly, we talked about that, we talked about it while we were in the locker room and the girls did a good job coming out and getting back in the swing of things and not letting that delay factor too much. We had a delay in a previous game and we had the other effect where we were a little sluggish, but we addressed it and they did a good job adjusting.”
