Box Score ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. - At a crucial point in the season, the women's soccer team needed a strong result.
Freshman
Olivia Ross-Johnson aided in getting that result, scoring two goals that carried the Tritons past Lynn (Fla.) University on senior night at the newly-named Ian Johnson Field.
Patience was key in giving Eckerd (6-7-2, 2-3-2 SSC) the win.
"We stayed extremely organized defensively," head coach
Danielle Fotopoulos said. "Lynn was very dangerous offensively and without patience, we may not have gotten the same result."
The match was scoreless until the 63rd minute when Ross-Johnson broke free of her defenders at the top of the 18 and put a perfectly-placed ball past the Fighting Knights' keeper.
Despite a valiant offensive push by Lynn (3-7-1, 0-5-1 SSC) to find the back of the net, Eckerd goalkeeper
Casey Winn managed to fight off all of their efforts. After an 8-0 run of shots in favor of the Fighting Knights over the following 25 minutes, junior
Abby Sanchez received a long ball on the right side and drove downfield.
Just before the end line, Sanchez crossed the ball into the box meeting Ross-Johnson on a back post run. Ross-Johnson struck the ball first time from inside the six, securing the win with her second goal of the match in the 88th minute.
The goal marks Ross-Johnson's seventh of her standout freshman campaign.
"I've been stressing the importance of finishing our chances all season," Fotopoulos said. "Tonight we did that and it paid off for us."
Eckerd was outshot 19-5 with Winn recording seven saves on the night in posting her fifth clean sheet of the season.
"She [Winn] has been solid for us all season," Fotopoulos said. "Especially in games like tonight, it's important to have a strong defensive base."
The win was also special for Eckerd's three seniors -
Leah Chisolm,
Monique Elliott and
Jana Spengler - who were honored before the game. All three played the full 90 minutes in the victory.
The Tritons hit the road for a non-conference matchup against Florida Southern on Wednesday, Oct. 19 for a 7:00 PM kickoff.
