Box Score
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. – With the ante raised, the Eckerd College women's soccer program rose to the occasion and nearly pulled off a monumental upset against sixth-ranked Saint Leo University on Thursday night, falling by a close 1-2 decision.
The Tritons (3-7, 0-3 SSC) pushed the vaunted Lions (9-0, 2-0 SSC) to the brink with a temporary go-ahead goal in the first half and nearly handed Saint Leo its first loss of the season.
As a result, Eckerd Head Coach
Danielle Fotopoulos had glowing reviews for her emerging program, specifically highlighting defensive prowess, following the match.
“I'm so happy for our team and our hard work on defense,” she said. “I give our players all the credit and we know we can do this every game. This is a great confidence boost for us as we move on in the conference schedule.”
The Tritons fronted Saint Leo's physical forwards, anticipated to intercept numerous balls at midfield and forced the Lions' offense to backtrack with aggressive on-the-ball pressure.
And even though the Tritons were outshot 16-9 when the final stats were tabulated, quality over quantity came into effect and Eckerd placed a number of balls dead center inside the box.
One of those opportunities was off a sideline throw-in from
Dana Treat, who started her momentum at the back of the fence. Treat was able to launch her two-handed throw over the Saint Leo defense with Arielle Anahory and
Meredith Mahoney flooding the box.
Before the Lions' defense could react, Mahoney was able to put the first tally on the board in the 26th minute.
“It was great getting that first goal because it was a complete team effort,” Fotopoulos said.
With the Tritons nursing a 1-0 lead, a freshly subbed Cassie Barbaresi planted and drilled a shot just outside the box about 10 minutes before halftime to tie.
Eckerd was rejuvenated after the break and battled for more shots on goal as the second frame got underway. But Dari Alcantara settled inside the Tritons' defense and with her back to the net, fed to teammate Sam Buterbaugh for a one-timer that represented the eventual winning goal in the 66th minute.
Alcantara was issued a red card and with Saint Leo shorthanded for the final 17 minutes, the Tritons looked to strike. Eckerd's three shots with a one-man advantage were on a beeline for the net, but ultimately couldn't find the target.
Eckerd goalkeeper
Lauren Fernandez made seven saves, including a 40-foot floating free kick that initially appeared to have enough height to clear her outstretched fingertips. Instead, the freshman adjusted while the ball was in flight and prevented a
Saint Leo score.
Fernandez' counterpart, Laura Carstens was credited with the win after recording five saves.
The Tritons remain at home for another Sunshine State Conference matchup, this time against Nova Southeastern University on Saturday evening at 7 p.m.
