ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. – The surging Eckerd College men's and women's soccer programs will look to raise a few more eyebrows as they lock horns against Sunshine State Conference rival Rollins College tomorrow evening in Winter Park.
Both contests fall under the new “Plus 4” category and will not be counted towards the conference standings.
Live stats and live video/audio will be available courtesy of RollinsSports.com.
The highly-anticipated showdown between the Tritons' men (2-1, 0-0 SSC), winners of the past two contests against No. 18 Clayton State (Ga.) University and North Georgia College & State University, and Tars, has all the ingredients to be an epic battle.
After reeling off a pair of wins in Tampa this past weekend, a double-overtime shocker in the 109th minute and a late rally into regulation, the Tritons landed on the national radar by receiving votes in the new NSCAA/Continental Tire Top-25 Coaches Poll announced today.
“Rollins is always a strong opponent and they have a lot of fresh faces like we do this year,” EC Head Coach Steve Magee said. “When you go there, you'll get a tough game. We're excited for this one and the boys have been working hard to get ready.”
EC would enjoy a chance to avenge last year's losses at the hands of the Tars, including an opening-round defeat in the SSC Tournament that ended the Tritons' strong season.
The Tritons last won in Winter Park during the 2007 campaign on Oct. 30, 2-1. The Tritons have compiled nine wins in the respective school series and Eckerd last beat Rollins at home, 4-0, in the 2008 campaign.
The Tars (2-1-1, 0-0 SSC) slipped to No. 23 in the most recent national poll after falling to now No. 18 Young Harris (Ga.) College in Pensacola.
The Rollins' women have been ranked as high as No. 16 but a pair of back-to-back losses against Young Harris and North Georgia contributed to a tumble out of the Top 25.
Thanks to an explosive offensive arsenal and stalwart defense, the Tritons have outscored opponents 8-1 and yielded just three shots on goal in the first two games of the season.
Freshman
Rachel Price has scored three goals in her first two games while reigning SSC Defensive Player of the Week
Dana Treat has contributed two goals and two assists. Sophomore goalkeeper
Morgan Crescent will look to keep her record unblemished in net.
“This team is ready to be competitive in the conference and we're focusing to continue to get better every game,” EC Head Coach
Danielle Fotopoulos said. “We're looking forward to the challenge.”
