Box Score ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. - A strong defensive outing was needed for the Tritons to stifle Nova Southeastern, the top offense in the Sunshine State Conference, as the Tritons' season finale ended in a 1-1 draw.
The first half ended scoreless despite NSU (11-3-1, 4-2-1 SSC) out-shooting the Tritons, 12-1. The Sharks' drought was in big part due to
Leah Chisolm and
Monique Elliott successfully containing the threatening Sierra Lelii as well as seven saves by
Angelique Ulmer.
"Leah just stayed tight on her. Then we had
Monique Elliott behind (Chisolm) just really trying to hold (Lelii) and keep her from getting goals," head coach
Danielle Fotopoulos said. "She's the leading goal scorer, and I think they did a great job."
Eckerd (4-8-2, 1-6-1 SSC) scored in the 58th minute to take the only lead of the contest. The goal was created by a
Katie Shafer run that was cut short just outside of the penalty box by NSU's Lauren Paul. However, Paul would be called for a foul after pulling Shafer down on the breakaway and was shown a red card, forcing the Sharks to finish the contest a player down.
The card would not be the last of NSU's worries for the impending free kick as Amanda Kopale, the starting goalkeeper, had to leave the game from an apparent injury suffered while making a diving save to prevent
Stephanie Evans from scoring just moments earlier. Without having time to warm up, Jordan Lentz entered the contest for the Sharks.
When the referee blew the whistle to resume play,
Rae Antenucci immediately challenged the fresh keeper off of the free kick. Antenucci's shot was stopped by Lentz but bounced free, where
Katie Shafer stepped in to score her third goal in two contests to give the Tritons the lead.
The Sharks would eventually find a gap in the otherwise impenetrable Triton defense in the 73rd minute. Sarah Keville began a counter attack with a pass from behind midfield over the EC defense that was chased down by Lelii who was able to break free with a one-on-one equalizer. The goal was her 18th of the season.
In the 84th minute, Antenucci nearly scored what would have been her first goal of the season with a finessed shot placed in the upper right corner of the goal, but Lentz was able to get both gloves on it for the save.
The match ended with the Sharks owning a 22-13 shot advantage. Ulmer finished with nine saves, including several spectacular saves in the first half.
The game would be the final match for the Tritons in the 2015 season. It was a season that saw its highs and lows, but Fotopoulos was proud of the way her team was able to rally together against a tough opponent to finish the year, especially for her 11 seniors.
"I'm just really excited for our seniors to go out like that," she said. "Obviously, the result wasn't what we wanted, we wanted to win, but I was very proud of them. They gave it so much heart. They went out and could hold their heads up, proud to be a Triton."
