ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. - Senior night was especially sweet for
Abby Sanchez, who scored two goals - including the golden goal in the 101st minute - and combined with a strong defensive performance as the Eckerd women's soccer team upset No. 7 Nova Southeastern, 2-1, at Johnson Field on Saturday night.
HOW IT ENDED
Final: Eckerd 2, Nova Southeastern 1 (2 OT)
Records: Eckerd (6-6, 5-4 SSC), Nova Southeastern (10-3-1, 6-1-1 SSC)
All-Time Series: Nova Southeastern leads, 11-5-5
HOW IT HAPPENED
* Eckerd took an early lead sending in a goal in the 11th minute. After NSU was whistled for a foul just outside of the penalty box, Sanchez took the direct kick from 22 yards out on the right side. Her strike sailed toward the crossbar where Sharks keeper Jordan Lentz attempted to punch it away. Instead, she pushed it into the upper netting as the Tritons took a 1-0 lead.
* Eckerd goalkeeper
Casey Winn and the Triton defense, meanwhile, kept the Sharks scoreless in the first half. Winn stayed poised turning back shots in the 13th and 44th minutes.
Katie Vitella also cleared a ball off the line in the 40th minute to save a potential goal. The defense continued its strong performance in the second half as well with Winn making another nice save in the 50th minute on a Sofia Del Stabile header off a corner kick.
*
Kayla Gray almost doubled Eckerd's lead in the 62nd minute with a hard strike from the right side, but it deflected off the crossbar and was cleared by the Nova Southeastern defense.
* One minute later, Nova evened the score as Hannah Christophe dribbled free in the center of the box and slipped a shot past Winn into the lower left corner.
* The crossbar came into play again in the 77th minute, this time for NSU. Monica Orteu lofted a ball from 30 yards out on the right side. Her attempt hit the bar and fell right to the feet of Elizabeth Haizlip standing a few yards in front of Winn. Haizlip tried to volley the loose ball into the goal, but Winn made a diving save.
* Eckerd had a chance to win in the final seconds of regulation, working downfield on a counter-attack.
Stephanie Linton laid a pass off for Gray making a run down the right side. Gray found herself one-on-one with Lentz but her shot missed wide of the right post.
* Neither team saw quality chances in the first overtime period, but Eckerd ended that 30 seconds into the second overtime. Eckerd worked the ball inside the box where Linton found Sanchez on the right side. Sanchez then spun around her defender and touched the ball past Lentz inside the right post for the golden goal.
NOTES AND NUMBERS
* Winn had eight saves, tying her mark for her second-most of the season.
* Sanchez's goals were her second and third of the season, and the first multi-goal game of her career.
* Eckerd is now 2-0 in overtime games this season, also defeating Embry-Riddle at Johnson Field, 2-1.
* Eckerd stays in fourth place in the conference standings with 15 points. EC's 15 conference points are the second-most points earned in program history, behind only 17 points in 2002.
* Before the match, Eckerd honored the program's three seniors - Sanchez, Gray, and
Sydney Tiiman.
QUOTABLE
"Our defense played hard and stayed composed and together. Abby [Sanchez] has been here for four years so I know those goals meant a lot to her and it was huge for senior night. Our seniors are leaders, all three of them." – Eckerd head coach
Danielle Fotopoulos
UP NEXT
Eckerd concludes the regular season next Saturday at Barry for a 6:00 PM start. A win for Eckerd could mean the Tritons will finish as high as second place in the final regular season conference standings.
