ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. – The Eckerd College women's soccer team took its season opener in a 6-0 win over Georgia Southwestern State University after a two-hour, 11-minute rain delay at Turley Athletic Complex on Thursday night.
"It was a great first game," EC Head Coach
Danielle Fotopoulos said. "Pricey [
Rachel Price] was with us. The win says a lot about our team."
Sophomore
Michelle Spesshardt put the Tritons (1-0, 0-0 SSC) on the board early in the first half, and Eckerd never let up. Spesshardt added another goal in the first half, and sophomore
Devon Morse tacked on a pair of goals and an assist.
With both sophomores flirting with the coveted hat trick, the Eckerd offense had no problems manufacturing offensive opportunities throughout the night.
"I think the game showed that we came to win tonight," said Spesshardt. "It feels great to have a team win. Scoring two goals felt great, but I couldn't have done it without any of my teammates. They did what we needed to do for me to get those goals."
Junior
Arie Anahory also added two goals in the second half and two assists on the night. Her offensive contributions moved her into fifth place in Eckerd history for career goals (12), sixth place for career assists (12) and fifth place in career points (36).
The Hurricanes (0-1, 0-0 PBC) did all it could to hold off the Tritons' offense, but was unable to muster any offensive momentum of its own.
Junior all-conference goalkeeper
Morgan Crescent didn't face a shot in net as the EC defense clamped down on their opponent.
In the first half of action, Eckerd scattered 18 shots against GSW goalkeeper Elyse Gowan and added another 13 shots in the final 45 minutes.
Fotopoulos showcased some of the staff's newcomers in the home opener, including freshman Monique Elliot, who tallied an assist.
Eckerd will continue its season on Saturday, Sept. 7, as it takes on Johnson & Wales (Fla.) University at Turley Athletic Complex at 7 p.m. EST.
Live stats and video/audio will be streamed live on EckerdTritons.com.
