Florida Southern opened up Sunshine State Conference play with a 3-0 win over Eckerd Wednesday night at Turley Athletic Complex in St. Petersburg. With the win the Moccasins improve to 3-2 overall and 1-0 in conference play, while Eckerd drops to 2-4 and 0-1 in the SSC.
“It always very important to get the first conference win,†said head coach Ben Strawbridge. “We played hard, moved the ball well, and we are looking better each game.â€
The Moccasins came out firing, taking the first five shots of the contest. In the 11th minute Alyssa Abrahamsen sent the ball down the field to Kara Moore, who crossed it to Alex Hoover for the goal to give the Mocs a 1-0 lead.
The score remained that way until the 35th minute when Lexie Bottomley threw the ball down the right sideline to Kirra Rainbow, who crossed it to Auburn Cherry for her first career goal.
The scoring ended two minutes later when Rainbow dribbled the ball down the left flank towards the goal and shot the ball into the net to give the Mocs a 3-0 lead.
“I was very excited for Kirra and Auburn scoring their first goal of their career,†said Strawbridge.
Trailing 3-0, the Tritons kept battling and were able to hold the Moccasins scoreless in the second half.
“Eckerd’s hard work was noticeable and nice to play against,†said Strawbridge. “They have a great attitude and their coach is preparing them for big changes.â€
The Mocs used a variety of players in the back on Wednesday, including the usual starting quartet of Abrahamsen, Bottomley, Morgan Sammons, and Brooke Williams. Amy Wheat and Holly Bennett also saw significant time in the Mocs' second shutout of the season. It was the fifth year in a row Florida Southern shut out the Tritons.
Florida Southern will return to action Sunday when the Moccasins travel to Carrolton, Ga., to take on North Alabama. Game time is slated for 1 p.m.
