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On the final stat sheet, it may look like a goal by Givi Kokaia was all Florida Southern needed in its first win of the season, but it was a goalkeeper who didn't have to make a single save that made it count. Kokaia's goal eight minutes before halftime was the only tally for either team, and the Moccasin defense did the rest in a 1-0 win over Alabama-Huntsville.
"I was very pleased with the shutout tonight," said FSC head coach Hugh Seyfarth. "We came back well from a loss to Montreat, and had a good week of practice; we weren't perfect, but we stayed calm and never broke down. We just need to be more precise with what we're doing, and need much better quality."
The Moccasins (1-1) allowed only three shots in the match, their best effort in three years, and none of them were on goal. However, that didn't mean goalkeeper Paul DiPalma had an easy night. The sophomore had to contend with several dangerous balls in the box, and at least three times punched them out to prevent a shot from being taken.
DiPalma was first tested just nine minutes into the game when he came far off his line to knock away a strong cross from Oscar Leon. He later did the same on a long throw-in by Chad Donaldson in the closing minutes that was even more dangerous. That came after an earlier second-half play when he grabbed another long throw right at the near post, plucking it nearly off the head of an attacking Huntsville player.
The Chargers (0-3) also came close in the 85th minute when Myles Harding got off a cross from the left flank that went to the back side of the Moccasin defense. Andres Flores appeared to have an open net but his shot sailed over the crossbar. The back line of Matt Dean, Emil Kumlin, Ashley Holmes and Emil Kumlin cleared almost everything else before things got too tense.
The Moccasins managed only eight shots in the contest, but the ball seemed to be in their control most of the night. That was evidenced by 13 offside calls against them, the most for Florida Southern in 24 years. The last time the Mocs had that many in one game was in a 1984 match at Jacksonville when they were whistled a school-record 18 times.
It looked like the Mocs would be shooting a lot more when Eoghan Conlon fired off two of them back-to-back in the first two minutes of the game. One was blocked and the other went high from just outside the penalty box. However, that was it for either team until Kokaia forced Tyler Earley into a save in the 32nd minute.
Kokaia made the most of his next opportunity thoughf when he ended up with the ball inside the six-yard box right in front of the left post. It made its way through more than one body on the way and Kokaia was able to knock home the close-range shot for his second goal in as many games.
It marked the second year in a row the Moccasins beat the Chargers 1-0, and the eighth time in 11 meetings they've shut them out. Five of those games have ended in 1-0 scores and another was a scoreless tie. The Chargers have scored just one goal in their five trips to Barnett Field.
Florida Southern will return to the field Sunday afternoon with a 2:30 match against defending South Region champion Montevallo (AL).
