Box Score MELBOURNE, Fla. - The third time was indeed the charm for the Eckerd men's soccer team, at least against tonight's opponent. And the charm came when the Tritons needed it most.
Eckerd scored its first win in the Sunshine State Conference Tournament since 2012, going on the road to defeat No. 22 and third-seeded Florida Tech, 3-1.
The win avenged two losses during the regular season, a 3-2 defeat at the hands of the Panthers in Melbourne followed by a 5-1 loss at home in a non-conference contest.
First-year head coach
Ian Cameron was pleased with the adjustments his team made following the first two outcomes.
"Florida Tech has had our number twice this year, both times deserved, and the team accepted that we had to adjust some things to be successful," he said. "The reality is that coaches can give players a game plan that works in our minds, but they must buy into it and execute it. Our players did exactly that tonight."
After giving up eight goals in the first two matches against FIT, Eckerd (8-5-2) found a way to clamp down in the defensive third. The Panthers' lone goal came on a penalty kick in the 81st minute, and even that was nearly stopped by
Alex Gott.
"Our whole group defended with strength and our attackers showed terrific quality when chances presented themselves," said Cameron.
One of those chances came relatively early, and the Tritons delivered.
Juan David Tejada slipped past his defender on the right side and carried the ball deep into the box before slotting a pass behind him to an unmarked
Matheus Assumpcao coming in from the top of the 18. Assumpcao one-timed the pass from near the penalty spot into the upper right corner to give Eckerd a 1-0 lead in the 31st minute.
Early in the second half, the Panthers (11-4-1) came within inches of an equalizer when Adin Kavara's free kick bounced off the frame and was sent away from danger.
Moments later, the Tritons converted a second time. Following a foul and a yellow card shown to FIT's Jan Hlavica, Assumpcao delivered a set piece from the left side. His effort was punched out by FIT keeper Christian Moerch, but
Moritz Hannemann beat the Panthers to the loose ball and volleyed it into the back of the net with his left foot in the 64th minute.
It took fewer than four minutes for Eckerd to extend its lead to 3-0.
Tejada, demonstrating his prowess with the ball on his feet, touched it past his defender from the left side and ripped a shot past Moerch into the right-side netting for his 10th goal of the season.
With time running out, the Panthers began to push up to create scoring chances but the Triton defense remained up to the task. Gott turned away a header from close range in the 71st minute to preserve the lead with one of his four saves on the night.
"They've truly earned the right to advance," Cameron said.
FIT outshot Eckerd, 16-13, but the Tritons placed more on frame by an 8-5 margin.
With the victory, the Tritons move into the semifinals for the first time in four years where No. 5 and second-seeded Lynn awaits. The match will take place on Friday, November 4, at 4:30 PM in West Palm Beach, Florida.
