LAKELAND â€" Zach Hofstetter scored two unassisted goals to get Florida Southern started Tuesday night before he helped put the game away by assisting two others in the closing minutes. Charlie Craig, meanwhile, got things done on both ends of the field, as the Moccasin goalkeeper posted his first career shutout and picked up his second career assist as Florida Southern downed Savannah Art & Design, 4-0, in its 2011 home opener.
The Moccasins (2-0) controlled the game from start to finish, and out-shot the Bees (0-3) by a 19-6 margin. Hofstetter scored in the 16th minute to give Florida Southern the lead and added his second goal in the 53rd. The 5th-year senior midfielder then assisted Mitchell Francois in the 84th minute and Ricky Marton in the 86th to give the Mocs their second straight game with four goals. It’s the first time they’ve opened the season that way since 2001.
“What pleases me most about this win, was how we learned from the self-inflicted mistakes we made in our first game (a 4-3 win by the Moccasins), and put together a full 90-minute game tonight,†said head coach Hugh Seyfarth. “We weren’t always in sync against Mount Olive, but we worked very hard on our shape in practice, and were much more organized tonight. We really saw the benefit of that.â€
The Moccasin back four of Marton, J.D. Ruiz, Ashley Holmes, and Logan Albritton held the Bees to just one shot in the first 35 minutes, as the Mocs built an attack that featured eight shots of their own during the same time frame. The one shot they did allow came from well outside the box and sailed high over the bar. Petter Allansson and Ryan Arndt later helped the Mocs complete the shutout, their first in a home opener since a 3-0 win over Palm Beach Atlantic in 2006.
Hofstetter applied pressure to the Bees early, setting up a scoring chance for Gustaf Ytterbom in the 4th minute, a shot that was deflected by SCAD defender Taylor Katsanis and then smothered by goalkeeper Ross Faulds. Hofstteter then took the next shot himself, dancing around a group of would-be defenders in the center of the field before ripping a shot from 22 yards inside the left post for his first goal of the season.
The score remained 1-0 until early in the second half when Hofstetter stole the ball in the attacking third, and drove in for a shot from the top right corner of the box that was on the mark for his second goal.
“Zach is one of our senior leaders that we’re really counting on this year,†said Seyfarth. “Those were two good goals, but I liked his work rate even better.â€
The Moccasins effectively sealed the game with 6:05 remaining when Francois scored his first collegiate goal by chipping a shot over Faulds from the top of the box. The ball was originally played forward by Craig after an offside call against the Bees, and flicked on by Hofstetter. It gave Craig his second career assist, a number matched by only two other goalkeepers in team history.
Craig also made four saves in the game, with two in each half. His most difficult plays came in the 39th and 70th minutes. The first one came on a header by Brinton Nute from close range, forcing him to his left where he deflected the shot over the end line. He later came out of the net to challenge Tibo Rocheblave, using his feet to make the save on a break-away.
Ruiz thwarted another potential break-away in the first half, when the Mocs were nearly caught out of position on a counter-attack. With only two defenders back as the Bees pressed their advantage, Ruiz broke up a centering pass with two SCAD players in the vicinity, allowing the Mocs to re-group.
Florida Southern will be at home for two more games this weekend, as the Mocs host St. Thomas on Friday at 5:00 p.m., and West Florida on Sunday at noon.
