LAKELAND â€" Florida Southern’s first win of the season couldn’t have come at a better time. Opening Sunshine State Conference play at home against Florida Tech, the Moccasins got big plays from a host of players who all combined to give Florida Southern a 3-1 victory.
Givi Kokaia scored the first one and assisted the last one, Zach Hofstetter put the Mocs ahead with a free kick, and Jovaughn Howard eventually sealed it. Meanwhile, David Fletcher got the Mocs going while goalkeeper Paul DiPalma turned the game around with perhaps the biggest play of the night. Sebastian Bergh was in the middle of it all too, shaking off an injury to make several stops in the back, before giving way to freshman Billy Locy, who stepped right in and helped close it out.
The game didn’t start too well, but everything worked out in the end. The Moccasins (1-3, 1-0 SSC) fell behind extremely early when a free kick by Dean Faithful set up a running header by David Tuftt that landed in the net just 46 seconds into the game. However, the Mocs kept their composure and almost immediately after that disappointing start, began applying pressure on the other end.
Fletcher forced Panther goalkeeper Derrick Hackett into two early saves, and Kokaia nearly tied the game in the 15th minute when Hackett made a huge stop that barely kept the Mocs off the scoreboard. It was shortly after that when DiPalma gave the Mocs a lift, and perhaps irrevocably turned the game in their favor.
Awarded a penalty kick in the 20th minute, Florida Tech (4-3, 0-1) had Nicolas Garcia take the 12-yard shot that could have given the Panthers a 2-0 lead. DiPalma was up to the task though, and dove to his left to stop it. It was one of five saves in the game for the redshirt junior, who was making his first start of the year.
Six minutes after that big defensive play, the Moccasins made another one on the offensive end. This one started with Fletcher in the middle, with Hofstetter serving the ball downfield for Kokaia, who finished it inside the box with his first goal of the season.
The Mocs came close a couple of more times after that before dodging a bullet themselves when Michael O’Farrell just missed for the Panthers in the 40th minute. DiPalma also made another save just before that when he stopped a shot by Stanley Abada inside the box.
Despite the chances, it took until early in the second half for Florida Southern to take the lead. The go-ahead goal was scored by Hofstetter, who curled a direct free kick around a wall of Florida Tech players just outside the penalty box. Hackett was able to get a hand on the shot, but couldn’t stop it before it ricocheted into the side netting for a 2-1 Florida Southern lead.
Howard would then give the Mocs some insurance in the 72nd minute, turning a pass from Kokaia into his second goal of the season. Howard nearly scored again in the 87th minute, but was denied by Hackett, who had seven saves in the match.
Florida Tech took just one shot in the final 10 minutes, as the Moccasin defense closed things out for their eighth win in the last 10 meetings with the Panthers.
Florida Southern will go for conference win #2 in its next game, when it travels to St. Petersburg to take on Eckerd College, Wednesday night at 7:00.
