MEN'S SOCCER GAMEDAY: #8 Florida Tech at Eckerd

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. - The biggest test of the 2015 season so far takes place on Saturday for the Eckerd men's soccer team as the Tritons play host to No. 8 Florida Tech at the Turley Athletic Complex.

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SETTING THE STAGE
The Panthers (2-0) vaulted into the NSCAA Top 25 after beginning the year unranked following a dominating victory over Union (Tenn.), 5-1, and a 1-0 win over Mississippi College.  Eckerd (3-0) also enters the day unbeaten and is coming off a 6-0 drubbing of Webber International (Fla.) on Wednesday.  Both teams will be looking to start their Sunshine State Conference schedules off on a positive note.

LAST TIME THEY MET
FIT got a goal in the 52nd minute from Josh Thomas that proved to be enough as the Panthers ended Eckerd's season in the SSC Quarterfinals, 1-0.  It capped off three straight Florida Tech wins over the Tritons in the 2014 season.

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

BIG NIGHTS
Senior Richard Ainscough and freshman Westleigh Rush both had big nights on Wednesday in a 6-0 win over Webber International.  Ainscough scored the Tritons' first two goals and added a pair of assists to finish the match with six points.  Rush scored Eckerd's last two goals of the match for his first career brace.

SCORELESS STREAK
The Triton defense and sophomore goalkeeper Alex Gott have proven to be hard to score against so far this season.  Gott enters tonight's game with a 214-minute scoreless streak and has already recorded two clean sheets.  The only goal allowed by the Tritons this year came off an unlucky bounce following an indirect kick just outside the box.

LONG WAIT
The Panthers have had an unexpected 13 days off heading into tonight's contest as their match scheduled for Wednesday against Flagler (Fla.) was postponed.  They last played on September 6 with a 1-0 win over Mississippi College.  The rest may be helpful after a busy early portion of the season that saw FIT take wins in three exhibition contests.

SCOUTING THE PANTHERS
Like Eckerd, FIT has been very strong defensively in the early season allowing only seven shots on goal in its first two matches.  Offensively, the Panthers have leaned on forward Adin Kavara as the junior has scored three of the team's six goals this season.  He ranked second in the conference last season in goals with 12; the Triton defense will certainly need to keep him marked throughout the contest.