ST. PETERSBURG, Fla.- The Triton women's soccer team picked up its third straight SSC win Saturday night at Johnson Filed with a 1-0 victory over Palm Beach Atlantic thanks in no small part to another impressive defensive performance.
HOW IT ENDED
Final: Eckerd 1, Palm Beach Atlantic 0
Records: Eckerd (5-5, 4-3 SSC); Palm Beach Atlantic (2-7-1, 1-5-1 SSC)
All-Time Series: Eckerd leads, 10-6-1
HOW IT HAPPENED
* Eckerd nearly took an early lead with a clean look by
Sydney Tiiman in the seventh minute. Tiiman went one-on-one with her defender in the left corner, beating her defender and ripping a shot; however, goalie Isabelle Granlund made a nice save to keep Eckerd off the board. Â
*
Paula Astiazaran and
Kayla Gray came close in the 15th and 27th minutes as well firing off clean shots, but both looks were turned back by Granlund.
* The Sailfish took their turn in the 18th minute. Taylor Frizen broke free on the right wing and took a shot from close range, but EC goalkeeper
Casey Winn made a nice grab for the save.
* Both teams were fairly quiet until the 70th minute where Tiiman fired another shot on goal, but again Granlund made the save. Gray finally broke through in the 82nd minute for the game's lone goal. Gray intercepted a pass from the Sailfish defense and worked her way through traffic into the box, rifling a low shot inside the right post.
* Gray looked to double the score five minutes later. Eckerd cleared the ball off a Sailfish corner kick and Gray made her way down the field uncontested, sending in a shot that just missed the frame.
* In the 88th minute, PBA's Gemma Burrul looked to have equalized the game lofting a ball into an empty net. However, the goal was nullified due to Burrul's being offsides.
NOTABLE
* With tonight's win, Eckerd moves to third place in the conference standings with 12 points, sitting behind Nova Southeastern and Barry.
* Eckerd out-shot the Sailfish, 13-9, and 7-5 in shots on goal.
* Tonight's shutout marks the third in a row for Eckerd and fourth overall for the Triton defense. Winn grabbed five saves in goal for Eckerd for her third full clean sheet of the season.
* Gray's goal was her third goal of the season and second in as many games for the Tritons.
QUOTABLE
"This was a great team win tonight. Our defense did an awesome job and
Kayla Gray did a great job finishing on that goal for us. Overall it was a great team performance." – Eckerd head coach
Danielle Fotopoulos
UP NEXT
Eckerd will travel to Florida Southern on Wednesday for a 7:00 PM start. Florida Southern played to a scoreless draw at Embry-Riddle tonight.
