![]()
Givi Kokaia scored three goals, David Fletcher assisted two of them, and Patrik Dandanell picked up one goal and one assist as Florida Southern defeated Florida Tech, 4-2, on Saturday afternoon.
Florida Southern (3-6, 2-2) got an early boost when Florida Tech defender Dean Faithfull was sent off with a red card just 11 minutes into the match. It took a while, but the Mocs eventually turned it to their advantage, scoring two goals in the final 10:30 of the first half to take control of the game.
"I'm very happy to get three points on the road in an SSC match," said coach Hugh Seyfarth." Florida Tech is a good team, a bit like us and down by injuries. It pleases me to no end to get this result."
The first goal came from Dandanell, who took a long downfield pass from Dennie Townsend and connected on a 15-yard shot in the middle of the box to give FSC a 1-0 lead.
It looked like the first half would end that way, but the Moccasins earned a corner kick in the closing seconds, with Dan Heaney playing it quickly to give them a chance. Heaney's kick was misplayed in the box by the Florida Tech defense, allowing Kokaia to get a wide open shot in the middle. That goal came 18 seconds before halftime, and sent the under-manned Panthers (4-7, 1-3) to the sideline trailing by two goals.
Florida Tech came out strong in the second half by scoring on a break-away in the 51st minute. However, the Mocs answered shortly thereafter when Fletcher, Dandanell and Kokaia combined to put another goal on the board in the 59th minute.
Fletcher did the early work, getting the ball to Dandanell in the left corner. Dandanell slashed his way into the box before sending a touch to Kokaia right in front of the net for an easy goal and a 3-1 Moccasin lead.
Kokaia would later score again in the 88th minute as Florida Tech was pushing forward in a desperate attempt to tie the game. He was again assisted by Fletcher, hitting a shot from well outside the box and over goalkeeper Derrick Hackett's head.
The hat trick by Kokaia was the first by a Moccasin since Emil Eliasson scored three goals in a 4-0 win at Southeastern on October 25, 2005. It was just the third hat trick by a Florida Southern player in Sunshine State Conference play. The others were by Frank Bresk in a 4-3 win at Saint Leo in 1991, and Patrik Dandanell in a 6-1 win vs. Florida Tech in 2005.
"Patrik and Givi really stepped up today as leaders of this team," said Seyfarth. "That's the type of play we need, especially now that we're into conference play."
A let-down on defense allowed Florida Tech to score immediately after that. Just 17 seconds after the Mocs had scored their fourth goal, the Panthers had taken it right down the field with Naru Wild Putsorn finishing the play. They were unable to score again, however, and the Mocs held on for the 4-2 win.
"We've got to work on a few things defensively and play a complete 90 minutes game."
Florida Southern will play again Tuesday at home when it hosts Flagler College at 5:00 p.m.
ÂÂ
