ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. – The Eckerd College men's soccer team will look to carry over a flurry of recent successes into the heart of the Sunshine State Conference schedule as league play kicks off tomorrow evening against Florida Southern College at 7 p.m.
After hosting the Mocs in Saturday's match at the Turley Athletic Complex, the Tritons (4-1, 0-0 SSC) will have hosted all SSC openers for their fall sports (women's soccer vs. Florida Southern, volleyball vs. Florida Tech).
Eckerd has rolled through a trio of NAIA opponents, won its season opener after a lengthy commute to South Carolina and the only blemish in the loss column is a neutral-site defeat against then-No. 13 Montevallo (Ala.) College in Georgia.
Eckerd toppled the Mocs (3-1, 0-0 SSC) last year, 2-1, when Florida Southern was ranked No. 23, after winning the 2009 matchup with a convincing 5-0 shutout.
“Tomorrow is the start of a 'new season' and at the end of the day, we'll be judged on how we perform in one of the toughest conferences in the country,” EC Head Coach Steve Magee said. “We know every game is important and everything we've done so far has brought us to this point. We're healthy, we're excited and we're ready to go.”
Florida Southern has nearly matched the Tritons' overall record to date with a 3-1 mark and is coming off its first loss of the year at the hands of University of West Florida. Senior midfielder Zach Hofstetter has torched opponents with six goals and six assists this season and paces the SSC in total points with 18.
The Tritons have been led by Matt Knight, who has five goals in five games -- including three game winners. He is coming off a two-goal effort against Warner University and equaled that effort against Francis Marion (S.C.) in the season opener.
Live stats and live video will be streamed at www.eckerdtritons.com.
