Another Win, Another Shutout: Mocs Down Clearwater Christian 2-0

CLEARWATER â€" Luke Jenner wasn’t sure if the ball was in the net or not, but just in case it wasn’t, the sophomore midfielder made sure of it. It’s a good thing he did. Jenner’s early goal stood up for most of the match before Zach Hofstetter scored his 16th goal of the season later in the second half, helping Florida Southern to a 2-0 win over Clearwater Christian.

The only goal of the first half came in the ninth minute when the Moccasins (6-6-1) earned one of their seven corners in the half. Hofstetter placed it inside the box for Ricky Marton, who appeared to score when his header went off the bottom of the cross bar. The officials ruled the ball didn’t cross the line, but Jenner made it a moot point when he knocked in the rebound just inside the right post. It was Jenner’s third goal of the season and it was the second game in a row he gave Florida Southern a 1-0 lead.

The Moccasins finished the first half with a 10-2 advantage in shots, but couldn’t dent the scoreboard again until much later in the second half. It wasn’t for lack of trying. Anthony DeRosse had a spectacular night in goal for the Cougars (4-9-1), making 11 saves in the match. Many of those came at close range, as DeRosse denied Hofstetter (twice), Adam Hansjons and Mitchell Francois goals in the second half with extremely difficult saves.

“Hats off to CCC,” said FSC coach Hugh Seyfarth. “They worked hard all night long, and their goalkeeper was absolutely outstanding. We came out a little flat though, and I’m not sure how to prevent that after the type of win we had in midweek against Saint Leo (4-0).”

Nevertheless, the Mocs eventually got an insurance goal in the 73rd minute when left back J.D. Ruiz served the ball into the box for Hofstetter, who hit a re-directed header inside the left post. That gave Hofstetter 16 goals and nine assists for the season, and his 41 points are the second most in team history. Only Alan Grossman stands ahead of him with 47, a record that’s stood since 1973.

Generally speaking, the Florida Southern defense held Clearwater Christian at bay for the entire match. The most dangerous moment came in the 15th minute when a mix-up in the back allowed Seth Dempsey to intercept a cross-field pass in the Mocs’ back third and take the ball straight into the box. Goalkeeper Andres Guzman was up to the task though and made a tough save to keep Dempsey from scoring.

It was one of only two saves Guzman had to make in the match as the sophomore from Orlando recorded his second straight shutout with the help of Ruiz, Marton, Logan Albritton and Ryan Arndt in front of him. Freshman Clay Clingerman also saw time in the back and helped the Mocs close it out. Florida Southern allowed only six shots in the match, with just two of them on frame and inside the box. It marks the first time since 2005 the Mocs have posted back-to-back shutouts.

“I was very pleased with our defensive shape tonight,” said Seyfarth. “I think we had 70 or 75 percent of the possession, and when that happens you can get a little bit lazy, and it opens you up to a counter-attack. The back four did a good job though of slowing play when that happened.”

“I really liked the minutes Clay gave us too, as well as Brandon Massie late in the game up front. I think what I was most impressed with though was Gustaf Ytterbom, who consistently gave us the ball in the box with a chance to score.”

The game was delayed late in the first half when the lights failed to work properly and forced the teams to change fields at Glen Oaks Park midway through the match.

Florida Southern will be on the road again Monday night when it faces Ave Maria at 6:00 p.m.