Tritons, Eagles Play to 1-1 Draw

Box Score ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. - Despite a flurry of chances for both teams late in the match, the Eckerd men's soccer team played to its second straight 1-1 draw tonight against visiting Embry-Riddle (Fla.) at the Turley Athletic Complex.

The Tritons (5-1-2) struggled to find a rhythm in the first half, taking only two shots while Embry-Riddle generated four chances from close range.  All of the Eagles' efforts, though, were turned away by Alex Gott, leading to a scoreless tie at the half.

In the second half, Eckerd came out with a more focused attack and nearly got on the board in the first minute after halftime on a strike by Juan David Tejada.  However, ERAU keeper Richard Dearle was able to punch it over the crossbar.

Eckerd continued to build toward quality opportunities and finally broke through in the 77th minute on the first career goal for Jordan Lee.  Lee streaked down the left side of the field, drove past a defender at the top of the 18-yard box and ripped a shot past Dearle into the net to give the Tritons a 1-0 lead.

That lead was short-lived, however, as ERAU answered in the 86th minute when Felix Moller slid a well-placed through ball between two Triton defenders to the feet of Joao Belmonte.  Belmonte stayed behind the defenders and sent the equalizer into the left corner.

In the first overtime period, Embry-Riddle (2-3-2) saw two excellent chances stopped by Gott to send the match to a final overtime.  Eckerd took control in the final 10 minutes, firing off seven shots, but Dearle was up to the task with three saves as the match ended in a draw.

After a slow start, Eckerd dominated shots by a 23-12 margin.

Despite staying unbeaten at home for the season, Eckerd head coach Ian Cameron wants to see more focus and commitment from his team as a whole.

"Tonight was a manifestation of young men losing sight of what they chose to sacrifice to be a top-class program," he said.  "We have been selfish and arrogant in our approach to tonight's match and any result, good or bad, would have been immaterial to the big picture.  I have a group of players who are truly great boys but need direction, which my staff will provide."

While the final moments of the match were undoubtedly exciting for those in attendance, Cameron wasn't comfortable with how things played out.

"The game was fantastic, I'm sure, for the neutral fan given the quality of clear-cut chances at both ends," he said.  "This kind of open game is not one I enjoy or desire as a coach and we will use this week to train like the team we want to become."

The Tritons get a week off before traveling to face No. 22 Rollins (Fla.) on Saturday at 7:00 PM.