LAKELAND â€" Looking for their second win over a top-10 opponent this year, the Florida Southern Moccasins came up a little short against what may be the best team in the country. Tied at one through 70 minutes of play, the Mocs saw 2nd-ranked West Florida score three times down the stretch to pull out a 4-1 victory and keep their record perfect through the first five games.
With 10 returning starters from their national runner-up team a year ago, a team who's only loss came in the national championship game, the Argonauts have to be considered one of the favorites again in 2009. For most of Sunday’s match, however, the Moccasins (3-3) were right there with them, falling behind late in the first half and tying the score early in the second. The result spoiled a spectacular game by goalkeeper Martina Tangen Billing, who made seven saves against every type of shot the Argonauts could take.
Her busy day started in the third minute with her first save, but her first big play came in the 11th. That’s when Monica Malavassi sent a long free kick into the box that got over the Moccasin defense to Jodi Galucci at the right post. Just three yards in front of the net, the senior midfielder got off a clean shot only to have Tangen Billing somehow deflect it out of danger. She then made back-to-back stops against Shaneka Gordon inside the box in the 31st minute, again deflecting the first one, before going back the opposite way to stop last year’s national player-of-the-year for a second time.
Tangen Billing later denied Shakira Duncan at close range in the 43rd minute and finished the first half with five saves. In between, the sophomore from Sweden also punched out a dangerous free kick and broke up a one-on-one with Duncan to prevent another shot from ever being taken.
The free kick was especially troublesome, with the Argonauts retaining possession even after the initial stop. Further damage was prevented by Kristen Vollmer and Jackie Bachteler, who each made defensive stops inside the 6-yard box to keep West Florida off the board.
Despite the heroics of their goalkeeper, and the timely defense by others, the Mocs still trailed 1-0 at halftime when the Argonauts used a corner kick in the 40th minute to take the lead. Jordan Stone played the kick into the box where Dernelle Mascall sent it on to the back post for Marcela Franco to finish it.
Meanwhile, the Mocs were held to just two shots in the first half, both by Princess Haley, as a West Florida defense that set a D-II record with 20 shutouts last year, kept them off the scoreboard. Haley tested All-American goalkeeper Courtney Jones just over a minute into the game, then All-American defender Shameka Gordon (the twin sister of Shaneka) stopped a potential break-away by Kerri-Ann Brown in the 21st.
The Mocs finished the half with another good scoring chance, set up by a free kick, but Stephanie Sandidge prevented a shot by Renee Heacock inside the box before an attempt by Haley went high with two seconds on the clock.
The second half started with Tangen Billing making another save just seconds into play, but it was Florida Southern that found the back of the net first. Forced to foul Brown to stop a second break-away attempt by the Mocs, Shameka Gordon was whistled for a foul and cautioned just outside the right side of the box. Brown ended up scoring anyway when Alex Hoover sent the ensuing free kick to the near post, putting her in position to put the ball in the net for her third goal of the season. That tied the score at one just four minutes into the second half.
The Moccasins then had two outstanding chances to take the lead, but Jones made a difficult save against Haley in the 52nd minute, and Brown pulled a shot wide in the 60th. The Argos also had a couple of good scoring chances during that time, with Duncan missing from in close and the Mocs’ Morgan Sammons blocking another shot over the end line.
Eventually, the Argonauts broke through the Mocs’ defense again when Shaneka Gordon brought the ball down the left side of the field and into the box for her seventh goal of the season. That came with 20:08 remaining and put West Florida ahead 2-1. Duncan then followed with a nearly identical goal in the 76th minute, making it 3-1.
The Mocs still had life though. Not long after the goal by Duncan, the Mocs earned a free kick at the other end and Hoover bounced a long-range shot off the cross bar. She followed that with another shot moments later, but that too was high.
West Florida would then end the scoring when Mascall scored on a penalty kick in the 89th minute, providing an anti-climactic ending to an otherwise close game.
Florida Southern will open Sunshine State Conference play in its next match when it hosts Florida Tech on Saturday at 5:00 p.m. It will be the Moccasins’ fourth game this year against a team from last year’s NCAA playoffs, the same team that ended their season in penalty kicks at 2008 South Region Tournament.
