Box Score
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. - Despite being down three starters, the Eckerd College men's soccer program manufactured a handful of timely scoring opportunities to take down Warner University in a Sunday edition on the pitch, 3-1.
Senior
Matt Duffy scored twice, junior
Daniel Lopez converted a free kick and sophomore
Nick Murawski floated a beautiful cross for the match's lone assist.
Members of Strictly Soccer, a youth club in St. Petersburg, filled the bleachers in preparation for a free clinic with the Tritons following the match. Unfortunately, due to driving rain and lightning, everyone had to seek shelter.
The Tritons (5-5-1, 2-2-1 SSC) fought through the absences of their top two leading scorers, sophomore forward
Matt Dolan and junior midfielder
Mark Lee, along with junior
Seb Marley.
EC Head Coach Steve Magee was able to get playing time for every healthy player on the active roster. A total of Eckerd 20 student-athletes made an appearance on the night.
The Royals (3-7, 1-4 TSC) played shorthanded following a red card handed out on a hand ball on the line in the box late in the first half.
Following the strange sequence, Duffy converted the penalty kick with poise and buried the first goal of the game for the Tritons in the 32nd minute.
Five minutes into the second half, Duffy then crashed the box and his imposing frame was the perfect target for a Murawski cross that left WU goalkeeper Joseph LaSala in a tough position as the Tritons added another score.
Cue in Lopez to cap the scoring after senior
Chris Moore hit the turf hard after being fouled outside the box.
With a wall of Royals' defenders in front of him, Lopez fired a laser on a free kick that went by the outstretched fingertips of LaSala at the 78:24 mark in regulation.
The second goal of the fall for Lopez was on the heels of a Warner goal put in just four minutes earlier by Daniel Marrugo.
The only other Warner shot opportunity was snuffed out by senior
Andrew Hoffer as time expired before the intermission. Sophomore Alexander Read-Starzynski cleaned up the winning effort in the net by subbing late.
Eckerd owned a 23-2 advantage in the shot column against its opponent.
The Tritons will be back to Sunshine State Conference play as they head down to Fort Lauderdale looking for revenge against Nova Southeastern University on Wednesday.
The Sharks beat the Tritons on Sept. 22, 1-0. Wednesday's matchup is slated to begin at 6 p.m.
