Box Score FT. LAUDERDALE, Fla. - The Eckerd Tritons men's soccer team would certainly love a chance to host the Sunshine State Conference tournament, and after a 1-0 victory at Nova Southeastern the team retains that chance.
The Tritons applied pressure early on in the contest with two shot attempts in the first five minutes. That pressure would not be recalled as Eckerd (8-4-1, 4-2-1 SSC) finished the match with a 24-6 shot advantage which included a 10-2 advantage in shots on goal.
Eckerd's high-pressure offense was to thank for the lone goal of the night.
It started with
Juan David Tejada missing wide on a shot attempt in the 80th minute, but the Sharks (5-9-0, 1-7-0 SSC) were unable to successfully clear the goal kick as they were called for a foul.
The resulting set piece would lead to
Matheus Assumpcao letting rip two shots, the first of which was blocked by a defender and the second saved by Jo Jien Lee. However, the second shot found the feet of
Tolin Vaccaro on the rebound, and he sent it into the back of the net for his first goal of the season.
The goal was enough to deflate NSU as the remainder of the half saw the Tritons dominate, allowing only one more shot that came in the 90th minute that sailed high of the crossbar.
The victory snapped a streak of four consecutive losses for Eckerd.
"I am really proud of the guys. They worked extremely hard and got a great result on the road," said head coach
Cristian Neagu. "On the back of a four game losing streak, it's great to get back on track."
The Tritons return to action for their regular season finale at Saint Leo (8-4-0, 4-2-0 SSC) on Thursday, October 29, at 7:00 PM. Eckerd looks to do what it can to clinch the regular season championship along with
home field advantage for the entire SSC tournament. However, the only way for the Tritons to do so is with a victory of their own along with a loss by Tampa at Lynn.
