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LAKELAND - Where to begin? The Moccasins did it all Monday night. Scoring, passing, and playing defense like they've never played before - quite literally in fact. Playing their final game before a 10-day stretch without one, the Mocs were pretty much flawless in a 6-0 win over Eckerd College, setting a handful of school records in the process.
First, there was Florida Southern's seventh straight win, breaking a mark they set early last year. Then there were the six goals scored by six different players, the most the Mocs have ever scored in conference play. The margin of victory tied another school record, and that may not have been the most impressive one of the night. That would have to belong to a Florida Southern defense that allowed nary a shot for the first time in the team's 11-year history.
Then again, the Moccasins are giving up just 7.9 shots per game anyway, so maybe a zero in that column was only a matter of time. The shutout was the sixth of the season for Florida Southern (9-3, 3-0 Sunshine State Conference), and the fourth in the last five games. That school record is seven, also set in 2007.
As for Monday night's other numbers, there were plenty. The Moccasins out-shot the Tritons, 33-0, took 12 corner kicks and played 25 players. Nine of them had either a goal or an assist. In a time when the "spread offense" is taking over college football, that's pretty spread.
Florida Southern jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the first 17 minutes, sparked by Liz Gorman. The senior assisted the first goal on a corner kick, a play finished by Ashlie Haas at the 4:22 mark, then scored one herself at 6:49 of the match. That goal was set up by Emily Griffith, who went right-to-left with a cross-field pass to Erin Hopkins, who sent the ball to Gorman inside the six-yard box.
Hopkins then scored unassisted in the 17th minute, drilling home a direct free kick from outside the box. It gives the senior midfielder a team-high nine goals for the season.
By halftime, the Mocs were up 15-0 in the shot department, and Eckerd goalkeeper Cory Hawkins had made eight saves.
It took a while in the second half, but Florida Southern also scored three goals in that period. The first one again came on a corner kick, this time with Alex Hoover sending a perfect ball to the feet of Christina Crook, who one-timed the ball into the net in front of the back post. Then, just as Gorman did in the first half, Hoover scored the next one, connecting from the top of the box for her eighth goal of the season and fifth in the last three games.
Caitlin Rauckhorst closed out the scoring with 30 seconds remaining, taking a pass from Therese Dahlskold, and driving into the box for a shot from the right wing.
As for the defense, it was stifling. The best scoring chance Eckerd had came in the 58th minute when Monica Ailes sent a cross out of the right corner, but Martina Tangen Billing grabbed it out of the air before it could be played in the box. Tangen Billing and Kim Adams combined on the shutout, and eight defenders saw time on the back line in the record-setting effort. Haas was the only one of them who went all 90 minutes.
Hawkins finished the night with 12 saves for Eckerd in a little over 75 minutes. The sophomore has been brilliant in goal for the Tritons (3-8, 0-5) all year and pushed her season total to 91. She set the SSC record last year with 183 saves in 19 games. Several of the saves Hawkins made against the Moccasins were difficult plays, made more so by the wet conditions.
Florida Southern will be off from competition until Friday, October 17, when it hosts Nova Southeastern at 6:00 p.m.
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EC   0  0   -  0
FSC 3  3   -  6
SCORING: FSC--Haas (Gorman), 4:22; FSC--Gorman (Griffith, Hopkins), 6:49; FSC--Hopkins (unassisted), 16:18; FSC--Crooks (Hoover), 64:22; FSC--Hoover (Haley), 68:07; FSC--Rauckhorst (Dahlskold), 89:30. SHOTS: EC 0, FSC 33. CORNER KICKS: EC 0, FSC 12. SAVES: EC 13 (Hawkins 12, Berger 1), FSC 0 (Tangen Billing 0, Adams 0). FOULS: EC 3, FSC 2. CAUTIONS: Bonnani (EC), 62:44.
