Box Score ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. - For Eckerd men's soccer coach
Ian Cameron, tonight's game was more of a starting point than a statement.
Either way, it was a good night for the Tritons who opened Sunshine State Conference play with a convincing 3-0 win over No. 9 Saint Leo at the Turley Athletic Complex.
And while the win was certainly one to enjoy, Cameron wants his team to keep looking forward in what will be a difficult road ahead in the SSC.
"The team now have a decision of whether this result tonight is going to be the highlight of the season," he said, "or simply a step towards something more special down the road. There's no statement to anyone but ourselves. We challenged the boys to prove to themselves tonight what their potential could be and, step by step, they are gaining a better grasp of what their identity is."
That identity took a few minutes to surface tonight, but when it did, there was no turning back.
Saint Leo narrowly missed an early chance when a header by Matthias Katerna hit the crossbar and was cleared away by
Gabriel Caetano.
From that point forward, Eckerd (5-0, 1-0 SSC) controlled the run of play and took little time to take the lead.
As the Tritons pushed down into the final third,
Mauricio Salvatierra played a ball from near the end line to the top of the box, where
Matheus Assumpcao touched it behind him to
Robert Labus. Labus immediately ripped a shot past Lion keeper James White inside the left post in the 21st minute to give Eckerd a 1-0 lead.
EC had two more quality chances in the half, but White was able to turn both away.
White wouldn't be so fortunate, though, early in the second half after a brilliant Triton scoring run.
Liam Guest intercepted a pass in the back and sent the ball through to Assumpcao. Assumpcao then dribbled past the defense and slid a pass in between two defenders to
Michael Molata running on. Molata took the pass in stride and sent a one-timer past White to the right post to make it 2-0 in the 58th minute.
Playing with an increased sense of urgency, Saint Leo (1-1, 0-1 SSC) began to attack more aggressively in an attempt to cut into the deficit. But the Triton defense still made it difficult to get good opportunities, and when the Lions did manage to find an opening,
Alex Gott was there to turn the shots away. Gott finished the night with five saves for his third clean sheet of the season.
"Our back four stayed resolute throughout, even when large numbers were placed on them in the second half," said Cameron. "But when attack-minded players are willing to relentlessly do their duties, results like this are more probable."
The Tritons tacked on a final goal as the last seconds ticked off the clock.
Jordan Lee threw the ball in quickly to Molata, who in turn found
Westleigh Rush to his right. Rush took one touch and, just before time expired, sent a perfectly-placed strike into the upper right corner to serve as an exclamation point on the night's performance.
Shots were virtually even in the match with Saint Leo holding a 14-12 edge in shots but Eckerd placing more on frame by a 7-5 margin.
The win marked the second time in as many years in which Eckerd defeated a top-10 opponent at home. Last year, the Tritons knocked off then-No. 10 Barry (Fla.), 2-1.
EC hits the road for the first time this season on Saturday, traveling to face Florida Tech for a 7:00 PM kickoff.
