DELAND, Fla. - After the Tritons took a 2-0 lead in the 26th minute, Stateson rallied to even the score at 2-2 in the second half. However, Robert Thorarinsson delivered the late-game heroics to give the Tritons men's soccer team a 3-2 victory in an upset win over Division I opponent Stetson (Fla.) on the road Tuesday night.
Daniel Freire got the Tritons on the board early, finding the back of the net in the 20th minute off a pass from Tommy Shepherd. The Hatters tried to equalize three minutes later, but Brandon Wheeler turned back the shot. The Tritons doubled their lead in the 26th minute as Liam Armstrong collected the rebound off Daniel Bloomfield's shot and buried it in the back of the goal. SU broke through in the 40th minute as EC took a 2-1 favor into the break.
After a quiet start to the second half, Stetson equalized in the 74th minute. However, less than 10 minutes later Thorarinsson buried a ball into the top of the net to give Eckerd a late 3-2 edge in the 83rd minute. The Hatters could not place another shot in the waning minutes as Eckerd sealed the win.
HOW IT ENDED
FINAL: Eckerd 3. Stateson 2
RECORDS: Eckerd 1-4-1; Stetson 2-4-2
SCORING SUMMARY: EC- 20' Daniel Freire (Tommy Shepherd), 26' Liam Armstrong (Daniel Bloomfield), 83' Robert Thorarinsson (unassisted); SU- 40' Charles Ahl (unassisted), 74' Andre Casas (Andres Rodriguez)
NOTED AND NUMBERS
- Freire and Armstrong each logged their first career goals, while Thorarinsson's was his first as a Triton.
- Wheeler made his first career start, collecting the win with three saves.
- Stetson held a 10-5 favor in shots but each team had five on frame.
- Shepherd's assist was his first of the season and nine of his career. The assist moved his career points total to 43, ranking 13th in program records.
- Bloomfield's assist was his first of the year and the second of his career.
- Wheeler and Viktor Milton played the full 90 minutes.
- Eckerd's win over Stetson is the first over a Division I opponent since at least 2005.
UP NEXT
Eckerd is scheduled to travel to Nova Southeastern on Saturday at 7:00 PM, but the schedule may change due to impending weather from Hurricane Helene. Check back at EckerdTritons.com for more updates.