Box Score
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. – Sophomore forward
Matt Dolan netted a hat trick, freshman forward
Joe Swindell scored two more goals and the Eckerd College men's soccer program surged past Florida Southern College on Saturday night, 5-0.
Eckerd exploited a few holes in the Mocs' (2-9-1, 1-4 SSC) defense for four goals in the second half alone. Senior goalkeeper
Andrew Hoffer outdueled FSC's Brent Theriault and pitched a four-save shutout.
The Tritons (7-5-1, 4-2-1 SSC) took care of business for the second time this week in a challenging road environment after downing Nova Southeastern University in Fort Lauderdale on Wednesday.
With the University of Tampa remaining idle in conference play tonight, the Tritons are now second in the league standings behind Lynn University. Eckerd has 13 points in the SSC standings to Tampa's 12.
“I'm so proud of the attitude and the way we performed tonight,” EC Head Coach Steve Magee said. “We've buckled down in practice and worked very hard to get our rewards. We took our chances in the second half and made them pay off.”
“I think we were due offensively and it was good to get some goals for our forwards,” he added. “We're delighted to have
Matt Dolan get a hat trick and the partnership on the field was fundamental. The spirit coming from the team is great.”
Dolan, already the SSC Offensive Player of the Week two voting periods ago, made his bid for another nod after recording seven points against the Mocs. He scored in all three possible ways -- with his left foot, his right foot and a header.
He highlighted an offensive flurry by scoring against FSC's defense three times in just 16 minutes. The 6-4 forward now leads the team in points with 18 (5 G, 4 A).
Dolan's first strike was the header in the 58th minute as he cashed in on crisp passing from sophomores
Nick Murawski and
Dean Hobbis for the double assist.
The Tritons kept pouring it on as sophomore defender
Marcus Lohrmann helped Dolan's goal in the 70th minute and senior captain
Matt Duffy recorded his second assist of the season to complete the hat trick four minutes later.
Swindell opened and closed the scoring, tallying his second goal of the season in the 26th minute to give the Tritons momentum going into halftime. His final shot capped the offensive outburst and he found the target again with 10 minutes left in regulation.
Murawski picked up his second assist on the night and junior
Daniel Lopez also was on the helping end with EC's last goal.
Dolan assisted what turned out to be the game winner in the first half. EC held a narrow 15-14 advantage in the shot department against Florida Southern.
The Tritons are now primed for a key SSC rematch against Rollins College after the Tars defeated EC in Winter Park earlier this season. EC and RC will meet again at the Turley Athletic Complex on Wednesday evening at 7:30 p.m., or following the women's contest.
