MEN'S SOCCER GAMEDAY: Eckerd at Florida Tech

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. - The Eckerd Triton men's soccer team will look to get back into the win column as it begins a three-match road trip to end the regular season with a visit to Florida Tech for a 7:00 PM kickoff.

COVERAGE: Live Stats | Live Video

SETTING THE STAGE
Tonight's match won't count in the conference standings, but remains an important contest for the Tritons (7-3-1, 3-2-1), who have dropped three straight matches after climbing into the NCAA Division II Top 25. The Panthers (4-4-2, 2-2-2) have also been in the top 25 this season, reaching as high as No. 8. They are coming off a 2-2 draw with Florida Southern on Saturday while Eckerd looks to recover from a heartbreaking 4-3 double-overtime loss to Lynn on senior day.

LAST TIME THEY MET
Mattheus Assumpcao netted the equalizer in the 74th minute as the Tritons played to a 1-1 draw with the then-No. 8 Panthers in St. Petersburg on September 19, 2015. Alex Gott made six saves in goal for Eckerd.

INSIDE THE SERIES
Florida Tech leads the all-time series, 24-16-2. Eckerd's last win over the Panthers came on October 5, 2013, when the Tritons won 2-1 in Melbourne.

ABOUT THE PANTHERS
- After reaching as high as No. 8 in the NCAA Division II Top 25, Florida Tech hit a skid midway through the season going 1-4-1 over a six-match stretch including four straight losses. The Panthers bounced back with a 4-0 win over Nova Southeastern on October 14 to stop the losing streak.
- FIT has been a different team in the second halves of its last four matches. The Panthers haven't scored in the first half over that stretch, but have out-scored opponents 6-1 in the second half and overtime periods while out-shooting opponents, 43-8.
- The Panther offense is led by Trey Collins and Adin Kavara, both of whom have scored six goals this season. Jack Willison has added three, including one against Eckerd in the first matchup between the teams.

ABOUT THE TRITONS
- Eckerd was quite efficient off of set pieces on Saturday against Lynn, scoring all three goals as a direct result of free kicks or corner kicks. Richard Ainscough sent home his fifth goal of the season on a direct kick from just outside the box while Antonio Alvarez headed in two goals off of set pieces, the first a free kick from Ainscough and the second a corner kick from Jordan Lee.
- Opponents have been able to find a way to break through the Triton defense lately as Eckerd has given up 10 goals in its last three matches. The Tritons held opponents to a mere three goals in their first eight matches.
- Alex Gott tops the Sunshine State Conference in nearly every goalkeeping category including shutouts (5), goals allowed average (1.14) and save percentage (.790).
- Eckerd now sits in a tie for third place in the conference standings, two points behind both Tampa and Rollins. The Tritons have two conference matches remaining - at Nova Southeastern (5-7, 1-5) on Saturday and at Saint Leo (6-4, 2-2) next week.