Box Score
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. – Amidst a large contingent of supporters huddled on the sideline, Eckerd College men's soccer goalkeeper
Andrew Hoffer was indeed the man of the hour.
With all eyes fixated on a shootout that would determine whose season would continue and whose would come to an end, the senior delivered at a time when it mattered most.
Hoffer made the lone save in a heart-pounding shootout session and his teammates answered the call by burying five consecutive penalty kicks as the Tritons stormed to the Florida Blue Sunshine State Conference Championship semifinals against Saint Leo University on Tuesday night, 0-0 (5-3 PK).
Appropriately, the crowd of 300-plus supporters who braved the chilly conditions with sub 60-degree temperatures and 30 mph gusts, stormed the field and joined in the celebration.
“We've practiced the penalty kicks and it really paid off with all the guys scoring,” EC Head Coach Steve Magee praised. “Andrew came up big and almost came up with another save on the fourth shot. We were very confident going into penalty kicks that we would win.”
After 110 minutes couldn't decide a victor between the fourth-seeded Tritons (7-8-3 overall) and fifth-seeded Lions, both respective head coaches strategically assembled their best snipers.
With EC leading 2-1 on conversions by senior
Matt Duffy and junior
Mark Lee, Hoffer trapped a line drive by SLU's Aaron Gendreau by shifting to his left, effectively preserving the Tritons' edge.
After the defensive stop, freshman
Nick Jackson ripped a shot inside the post while
Nick Murawski and
Joe Swindell went top shelf to beat Lions' netminder Manuel Schoenhuber in the one-on-one situation.
“I was proud of the application and the energy that the guys put in tonight,” Magee added. “We played a very good and a well-coached Saint Leo squad that just fell short.”
For the first time since 2008, the Tritons punched their ticket to the conference tournament semifinals, where top-seeded Lynn University awaits in Boca Raton for a Friday afternoon contest at 2:30 p.m. following an opening-round bye.
Third-seeded Rollins College eliminated No. 6 Florida Tech in the other quarterfinal match tonight. Rollins will meet No. 2 seed University of Tampa on Friday in the semifinals, also in Boca Raton.
Saint Leo had its season come to an end with a 7-8-1 overall record.
In regulation, the defensive struggle was reminiscent of the previous regular-season meeting in Saint Leo, where the Tritons emerged with an overtime win. EC's center backs, Duffy and freshman
Eduardo Juarez, shined in the eyes of Magee against the Lions' offensive threats.
“Eddie (Juarez) and
Matt Duffy were fantastic tonight,” Magee said. “They shored up Saint Leo's attacks and we were able to start our attacks from them. The guys that came off the bench really contributed a lot; it wasn't easy to step into a game of this magnitude.”
Eckerd had a few key chances in the first 90 minutes as Swindell exploited a seam down the middle to break free but had his shot blocked by a Saint Leo defender. Junior
Daniel Lopez chipped in a free kick that was swallowed by Schoenhuber as it zeroed in on target.
The Lions' Edgar Herrera kept the crowd on the edge of their chairs as he unleashed a 20-yard shot into the wind that sliced right past the post.
But the Tritons prevailed and gained inspiration down the stretch when it was announced on the P.A. system that the women's program pulled an upset of their own at Nova Southeastern University.
The Tritons will travel to the No. 1-seeded Fighting Knights on Friday. Live stats and video/audio will be available for the match.
2012 Florida Blue SSC Men's Soccer Championship Results
Quarterfinals - Tuesday, October 30
No. 4 Eckerd def. No. 5 Saint Leo, 0-0 (5-3 in PK's)
No. 3 Rollins def. No. 6 Florida Tech, 1-0
Semifinals - Friday, November 2 (Hosted by Lynn)
No. 3 Rollins vs. No. 2 Tampa, 11 a.m.
No. 4 Eckerd vs. No. 1 Lynn, 2:30 p.m.
Finals - Sunday, November 4 (Hosted by Lynn)
Semifinal Winners, 1 p.m.
