ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. - Freshman Thomas Sheperd contributed to four of the Tritons' seven goals as the Eckerd men's soccer team dominated Fort Lauderdale, 7-0, Saturday night at Johnson Field.
Eckerd's seven goals were the most in a single game since 2013, while Sheperd's hat trick was the first by a Triton since 2012.
Braden Bradford contributed to the first three goals of the night. In the third minute, he slid a pass from the left to Sheperd inside the box, as Sheperd one-touched it into the back of the net. Then, in the 22nd minute, he found Kyle Bingham in a similar fashion, sliding a pass from the right to the top of the box for a 2-0 EC lead. Bradford then added a goal in the 32nd minute, one-touching a pass from Sheperd into the left post as the Tritons held a 3-0 lead at halftime.
Sheperd added his second goal of the night, firing a shot from inside the box in the 58th minute. Jonathan Falbe-Hansen added to the Tritons' lead in the 71st minute with a shot from the top of the 18. Sheperd then recorded his hat trick in the 77th minute on a free-kick. Gonzalo Echanove added EC's final goal in the 80th minute.
HOW IT ENDED
FINAL: Eckerd 7, Fort Lauderdale 0
RECORDS: Eckerd 1-6; Fort Lauderdale 0-2
SCORING SUMMARY: EC- 3' Sheperd (Bradford), 22' Bingham (Bradford), 32' Bradford (Sheperd), 58' Sheperd (Zack McLaughlin), 71' Jonathan Falbe-Hansen (unassisted), 77' Sheperd (unassisted), 80' Gonzalo Echanove (Ethan Winship).
NOTES AND NUMBERS
- Eckerd's seven goals were the most in a single game since scoring eight against Clearwater Christian on September 7, 2013.
- Sheperd's hat trick was the first by a Triton since Matt Dolan scored his at Florida Southern on October 13, 2012.
- Sheperd collected an assist on Bradford's goal to record seven points in the match, also the first by a Triton since Matt Dolan.
- Bradford recorded his first multi-assist game. His goal was his second of the season.
- Sheperd's opening goal was the first of his career, while his assist was also the first of his career.
- Bingham and Echanove also netted their first career goals.
- Winship's assist was the first of his career. He also made the first start of his career.
- Quentin Kirch made his first career appearance, playing the final 45 minutes while collecting a pair of saves.
- Head coach, John Fletcher, collected his first career win.
- Eckerd outshot Fort Lauderdale 29-7 and 16-4 in shots on goal.
QUOTABLE
"I'm really happy with the way we moved the ball around today. Overall it was a very solid team performance, with every player on the squad contributing," said Fletcher. "This is a really good stepping stone for our progression as a team."
UP NEXT
Eckerd returns to Sunshine State Conference action on Wednesday, hosting Saint Leo at 7:00 PM.
