MONTEVALLO, Ala. – A resilient effort from the Eckerd College men's soccer program in the regular season opener resulted in a theatric victory on a neutral pitch against Lincoln Memorial (Tenn.) University on Thursday night in overtime, 3-2.
The Tritons (1-0, 0-0 SSC) battled back from an early two-goal deficit in the first half against the Railsplitters (0-1, 0-0 SAC) before pulling even and forcing the decisive overtime session.
EC's junior All-South Region and Second Team All-Sunshine State Conference forward
Matt Dolan sealed the deal with the game winner in the 99th minute at Varsity Field. Junior forward
Nick Murawski tallied a goal and an assist to begin the fall.
"It was a little bit of a slow start out of the gates, but we clawed our way back into the game," said EC Head Coach Steve Magee. "At halftime, we felt very lucky and still had a chance. We made a few adjustments and scored off a set piece from the corner (in the second half)."
"We could've won it and could've lost it towards the end," he added. "It was great to get the first win on the road and the guys showed character, heart and desire."
Reigning South Atlantic Conference Player of the Year Mario Pinto was a thorn in Eckerd's side early on with a hand in both of LMU's first-half goals.
Pinto scored in unassisted fashion at the 18th minute before helping the Railsplitters out a two-goal advantage with an assist as George Burne found the net 14 minutes later.
Murawski capitalized on one of the team's two penalty kick tries in the first half with a few minutes to go before halftime. The Texan then delivered an assist on the equalizer as junior captain
Dean Hobbis found paydirt at the 64:39 mark in regulation.
Hobbis, making his first appearance since breaking his leg in the Sunshine State Conference Championship semifinals vs. Lynn University, drilled home the tying score off a corner kick.
Eckerd threatened to end the game before regulation expired, most notably when senior
Daniel Lopez drilled the post late in the second half, but the diminutive playmaker beat three players at the top of the box to help feed the 6-4 Dolan when overtime rolled around.
The EC back row defense was anchored by an impressive collegiate debut from freshman
Jordan Lee and gutsy effort from sophomore
Adam Stephany as the Tritons continue to deal with numerous injuries affecting the roster. With senior
Seb Marley (hamstring ) and Magee's "Man of the Match" vs. No. 10 Flagler College in exhibition action,
Marcus Lohrmann (illness), out, the Tritons handled 17 shots as a unit on the night.
Lee's brother and another team captain, Mark, left the match with an undisclosed injury.
Senior goalkeeper
Toni Virtanen collected his first win in net and recorded four saves on the night.
The Tritons will take in one practice tomorrow in Montevallo before facing the host Falcons at Varsity Field on Saturday at 1 p.m. (EST) or noon (CST). Live coverage links are posted on EckerdTritons.com under the team's sport page.
