Box Score
TAMPA, Fla. – Less than three minutes into the second period, Cici Gonzalez scored what turned out to be the only goal as 16th-ranked University of Tampa fended off the upset-minded Eckerd College women's soccer program on Saturday evening, 1-0.
The Tritons (2-2, 0-1 SSC) played the Spartans to a scoreless first-half draw to kick off the Sunshine State Conference schedule as sophomore goalkeeper
Morgan Crescent held UT's high-octane offense in check.
The Spartans (5-2, 1-0 SSC) launched an assault against non-conference foes Warner University, Florida Memorial University and Mercy College, in the last week, outscoring their opponents by a staggering margin of 30-2.
Crescent recorded seven saves in the first half alone as she locked down the reigning SSC Offensive Player of the Week presented by VALIC, Lauren Moore (19 points in three games).
Even though the Spartans held a 34-5 advantage in shots, the Eckerd defense refused to give in and the upset alert was on standby as the first half expired with no score between either side.
After Moore fired a shot wide to begin the second half, she fed a cross to Gonzalez at the 47:55 juncture to break the scoreless tie. For Gonzalez, it marked her seventh goal of the young season.
After the goal, EC put UT on its heels with three shots in less than three minutes, two by freshman
Devon Morse and one by freshman
Rachel Price, but they were wide of the target.
Tampa's defense then flexed its muscle and denied Eckerd a shot attempt in the final 30 minutes of regulation.
Crescent made four more saves in the second half and finished with 11 on the night.
The Tritons will look to rebound in the conference standings on Tuesday night, hosting Florida Tech for another SSC meeting at the Turley Athletic Complex. The match between EC and the Panthers will start at 7 p.m.
Live stats and video/audio will be streamed live on EckerdTritons.com.
