Tritons Dominant in Win over Webber International

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. - Coming off an unexpected layoff as the result of Hurricane Irma, the Eckerd men's soccer team showed no signs of rust as the Tritons blitzed Webber International (Fla.), 5-0, at Johnson Field on Sunday night.

HOW IT ENDED
Final: Eckerd 5, Webber International 0
Records: Eckerd 2-1, WIU 2-1
All-Time Series: Eckerd leads, 10-2

HOW IT HAPPENED
* Though it took a little bit of time to find the net, the Tritons dominated the match from the opening minutes.  After the Warriors managed a pair of early shots, Eckerd controlled possession and created several quality chances including a strike by Matheus Assumpcao in the 21st minute that hit the left post.
* The Tritons finally got on the board in the 31st minute when Niklas Sommerer slotted a perfect pass to Elliott Williams in the center of the box.  The transfer from the University of Cincinnati made good on the opportunity, one-timing the ball past WIU keeper Alistair Shanks to the lower right corner.
* EC wasted little time in striking again as Juan David Tejada sent a pass down the left side of the field to an unmarked Robert Labus.  Labus took a pair of touches and rifled the ball inside the right post in the 32nd minute for his first of two goals.
* Labus did it again a minute later after Eckerd won possession in the midfield.  Assumpcao centered the ball into the box where Tejada dummied it, leaving Labus open to one-time the pass past Shanks for his second goal of the night.
* Sommerer extended EC's lead early in the second half, winning a ball from a defender before dribbling free on the left side and ripping a shot into the lower-right corner.
* The Tritons added a fifth goal in the 85th minute.  Robert Carter carried the ball down the left side, then sent a pass inside the box where Wyeth Leemon was running on.  Leemon finished inside the left post for his first career goal.

NOTABLE
* Labus recorded his second consecutive two-goal match.  He scored six goals last season but did not record a brace; he has two in three matches this season.
* Eckerd dominated the stat sheet with 29 shots (13 on goal) and 12 corner kicks while limiting the Warriors for four shots and no corners.
* Alex Gott and Alexandre Coste combined for a clean sheet, giving Gott 12.5 for his career.  He needs three more to tie Bob Kovack (1992-95) for third place on the program's all-time list.

QUOTABLE
"We didn't have the cutting edge early, but this is no big surprise coming off such a long lay-off.  We got stronger as the minutes built, though.  We started to trust our touch and play instinctively again.  Having many contributors was also nice to see.  The guys on the edge of playing time were given a chance to prove themselves and some definitely showed progress in a game scenario." - EC head coach Ian Cameron

UP NEXT
The Tritons prepare for a rivalry affair in their Sunshine State Conference opener on Wednesday, traveling across the Howard Franklin Bridge to take on the University of Tampa at 7:00 PM.