Box Score ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. - As teams in the Sunshine State Conference fight for position in the standings, the Eckerd men's soccer team needed a win in order to keep pace.
The Tritons got what they needed and did so in dominant fashion for much of the match on the way to a 3-1 victory over No. 23 Tampa at the Turley Athletic Complex on Tuesday night.
The win was the second this season for Eckerd over a ranked opponent at home and moves the team into a four-way tie for fourth place in conference play.
"In a must-win game, we played one of our better games," said EC head coach
Ian Cameron. "That's pleasing as a coaching staff to watch."
The Tritons (6-2-2, 2-2-1 SSC) controlled the run of play from the start, firing off seven shots in the first 13 minutes of the match. The fourth attempt opened the scoring in the 10th minute on a brilliant strike by
Robert Labus, bending his shot from outside the 18-yard box around a defender and inside the right post after receiving a pass from
Matheus Assumpcao.
Eckerd continued to control possession and later made it a 2-0 lead after
Gabriel Caetano sent a low cross to
Moritz Hannemann, who one-timed it past UT keeper Jake Richards in the 30th minute.
The Spartans began to create more chances in the second half, but Eckerd did the same and made good again in the 52nd minute for a three-goal advantage. Hannemann ripped a shot from outside the box that was deflected by Richards, but
Michael Molata cleaned up the rebound from straight away punching it inside the left post while Richards shifted in the opposite direction.
As Tampa (6-2-2, 2-2-1 SSC) continued to push up in an effort to get back into the match, Eckerd keeper
Alex Gott made several spectacular saves before the Spartans put a mark on the scoresheet on a goal by Lewis Sugden in the 78th minute.
However, the Spartans couldn't break through a second time against the Eckerd defense as the Tritons allowed only one shot for the remainder of the match.
"At the end of the game we were a little over-exuberant to attack and made the game more stretched than it should have been," said Cameron. "But that's coachable and we're not dealing with professionals. These are young guys still learning the game."
Eckerd out-shot Tampa, 16-3, in the first half and ended the match with a 26-16 edge in opportunities. Gott stopped seven shots in goal for Eckerd as he retook the lead in saves in the SSC.
The Tritons return to action on Saturday, facing their third consecutive ranked opponent when they travel to take on No. 10 Lynn (Fla.) at 2:00 PM.
