ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. - After striking first in the opening half, the Tritons women's soccer team fell to the No. 5 West Florida Argonauts by a tally of 3-1 in their home opener on Johnson Field Friday night.
The game was off to a quiet start, as Aisling Spillane took the first shot of the game nearly seven minutes in that was turned aside by Argos' keeper, Macaih Lipsey. In the 28th minute, Brooke Bisko fired a shot to the top right corner off a feed from Sophia Butkovich to give Eckerd an early lead. Both teams struggled offensively before Mya Swinton evened the score for the Argonauts in the 36th minute.
West Florida took its first lead of the game off a rebound on a corner kick, as Julia Comin scored her first goal of the year with Swinton picking up another point in the 40th minute. With under 30 seconds remaining in the first half, West Florida extended their lead out to two with a goal from Manami Okada to end the half with a 3-1 favor.
An uneventful second half ensued, as neither team could generate momentum. Sierra Hudson had a chance in the 72nd minute to bring Eckerd within one but her shot was turned aside. The Tritons ultimately fell by a score of 3-1.
HOW IT ENDED
FINAL: West Florida 3, Eckerd 1
RECORDS: Eckerd 0-1 (0-0 SSC), West Florida 1-0 (0-0 GSC)
SCORING SUMMARY: UWF - 36' Swinton (Layman), 40' Comin (Swinton, Blackmon), 45' Okada; EC – 28' Bisko (Butkovich)
NOTES AND NUMBERS
- Bisko's goal was the first of her career.
- Cadence Talbert posted eight saves on the night.
- Butkovich tallied her first point as a Triton.
- EC tallied six shots with four falling on goal.
- Three Tritons played the full 90 minutes: Talbert, Bisko, and Spillane
UP NEXT
Eckerd remains home at Johnson Field, hosting Spring Hill (Ala.) on Sunday afternoon at 12:00 PM.
