MELBOURNE â€" Ben Strawbridge figured the best way to test his new team at the start of 2011 was to schedule the best opponent he could find, even if it meant playing the preseason favorite in the Sunshine State Conference, in a non-conference match. The fact that opponent advanced to last year’s national semifinals and had 10 returning starters made it all the more challenging. For most of Thursday’s match, Florida Southern was up to that challenge, but 5th-ranked Florida Tech used goals early in each half to pull out a 2-0 win over the Moccasins.
“I’m glad we had the chance to play this match,†said Strawbridge. “Playing a team like Florida Tech to open the season was going to give us a good idea of where we stood right away. We knew they’d show us some areas where we might be a little weak, but it gives us a good idea of what we need to work on.â€
Florida Tech scored on its first shot of the game, just 1:24 into the match. With the initial attack coming down the left flank, Casey Lademann sent a cross out of the corner for Carly Hunt at the far post, and the sophomore forward connected from close range for the first goal.
The pressure by Florida Tech in the early going was intense, as the Panthers out-shot the Mocs 7-0 in the first 20 minutes. Martina Tangen Billing ended up with four saves in the first half, and defender Brooke Williams prevented a goal in the 20th minute when she stopped a shot by Brittany Comeau that came off a loose ball in the box. But despite the early break-down, the Moccasins held fast for the remainder of the half and soon began to develop an attack of their own.
Many of Florida Southern’s first-half scoring chances came on eight corner kicks, and it was one of those in the 30th minute that nearly tied the score. With Kara Moore providing the initial set-up, Emily Griffith ended up with the ball inside the box and punched a shot just over the crossbar. Ten minutes later, the Mocs had another close call when Holly Bennett hit a shot from nearly the same spot as Griffith, but the result was the same.
The second half saw the Moccasins held without a shot until the final six minutes, while the Panthers took 12 to finish with a 23-9 advantage in the match. The Mocs were also held without a corner kick in the second half after taking eight in the first.
While Florida Southern’s offense struggled to get going in the second half, Florida Tech notched its second goal of the match in the 58th minute. This time Hunt was the passer instead of the scorer, creating an opportunity for Chelsea Belfer from the top of the box. Belfer was able to loop a high arcing shot over a leaping Tangen Billing into the upper right corner of the net, giving the Panthers a 2-0 lead.
Tangen Billing kept it that way the rest of the afternoon, finishing with nine saves on Florida Tech’s 23 shots. Most of them came with some degree of difficulty, but none was more challenging than a penalty kick in the 72nd minute after Kelly Whitaker was fouled in the box. Whitaker then took the kick, but Tangen Billing denied her with a diving save to her right. The senior goalkeeper is now 4-for-8 in her career on penalty kicks (not including tie-breakers), matching the best percentage in team history.
Mist Eliasdottir made five saves for Florida Tech, two of them in the final six minutes to keep Florida Southern off the board.
Thursday marked the fourth time in the last five games dating back to last year the two sides had gone head-to-head. They met in the final regular season game of 2010, the SSC Tournament semifinals, and again in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.
“Sometimes you just get beat by a better team,†said Strawbridge. “That’s what happened today, so we need to go back to the drawing board, make some improvements, and get ready for the next game.â€
Florida Southern returns to the field on Sunday against another nationally ranked opponent, hosting #11 Armstrong Atlantic State at Barnett Field beginning at 10:00 a.m.
