MOUNT OLIVE, NC â€" Freshman forward Viktor Bakkioui made an immediate impact in his Florida Southern debut, and the defense was nearly flawless as the Moccasins defeated Mount Olive (NC) 2-0 in their season opener.
It took Bakkioui only two minutes and six seconds to score Florida Southern’s first goal of the season, taking a through-pass from Givi Kokaia down the middle, and beating goalkeeper Shane Parman. Then, just 18 seconds before halftime, Bakkioui sent a cross into the middle for Zach Hofstetter, who converted a header for a 2-0 Moccasin lead. He finished with four of Florida Southern’s 12 shots in the game.
Defensively, the Moccasins allowed only five shots, and goalkeeper Johan Jonsson had to make only two saves. One of those saves came on a shot from 40 yards out. The Mocs even played the entire second half a man down, but were still able to complete their first shutout since early in 2008 when they beat Alabama-Huntsville, 1-0. They had to withstand two late corner kicks against Mount Olive to close it out.
Ashley Holmes, J.D. Ruiz and Aleksander Ratkovic went the distance in the back for Florida Southern, with Ricky Marton and Ryan Arndt splitting time. It was Holmes’ first game since October of 2008, as the redshirt sophomore sat out last year due to injury. Ruiz was the only defensive starter on Thursday who was also a starter in 2009.
Florida Southern will complete its two-game trip to North Carolina on Saturday, when it takes on St. Andrews Presbyterian at 2:00 p.m.
