Box Score
LAKELAND â€" Lavinia Nkomo helped put the Buccaneers ahead early in the game, then scored to put them ahead again late in the first half, before finally putting the game away late in the second, leading Barry to a 4-1 win over Florida Southern in the Sunshine State Conference opener for both teams Saturday night.
Nkomo came into the game with one goal and two assists on the season but flipped those numbers Saturday with two goals and one assist. Barry (6-3, 1-0) also received goals from Dominique Richardson and Chelsea Stoerkigt, while senior Kara Moore (Fleming Island, Fla.) scored for Florida Southern (1-6-3, 0-1).
Barry hit the scoreboard first with a goal in the seventh minute off the foot of Richardson. She got that opportunity when Nkomo brought the ball down the middle of the field and into the attacking third before sending it wide to Richardson. Taking it into the box and forcing Erin Moseley (Jacksonville, Fla.) to come out to face her, Richardson was able to slip her shot under the Moccasin goalkeeper for a 1-0 Barry lead and her fourth goal of the season.
Eight minutes later, Florida Southern drew even on a well-played sequence involving freshmen Kristy Legoas (Palm Harbor, Fla.) and Margot Chowansky (Califon, N.J.), and Moore. Attacking from the left flank, Legoas got the ball inside for Chowansky, who quickly laid it off for Moore. The senior midfielder stepped in for a 15-yard shot inside the near post to notch her fourth goal of the season too.
The Buccaneers re-claimed the lead in the 36th minute when Nkomo hit a brilliant shot from right to left inside the box that landed in the far side netting. It was set up by the cross-field passing of Stoerkigt and Richardson, with Richardson’s pass leading directly to Nkomo’s second goal of the year.
Altogether, Barry and Florida Southern combined to score on three of their seven total shots in the half, and there were few other chances for either side. The Moccasins’ Jackie Metz (Vero Beach, Fla.) hit a strong header on a corner kick in the 25th minute but sent it wide, and the Bucs’ Stoerkigt forced Moseley into a save in the 38th minute.
Barry scored its third goal of the night just over three minutes into the second half. Sara Karna created the opportunity by winning a corner kick for the Buccaneers, which the Mocs were initially able to clear. The Bucs, however, got the ball back to Karna in the corner, who sent another cross inside. That too was cleared by the Mocs, but this time it ended up with Stoerkigt, who was alone at the 18-yard line and buried a shot for her first goal of the season, giving the Bucs a 3-1 lead.
The score remained that way until the 84th minute when Nkomo scored again. It came after Moseley initially saved a shot at close range by Lauren Manna. The ball was deflected toward the goal, but the Mocs re-grouped behind Moseley to prevent an immediate follow-up shot by Manna. Before she could get back in the net, however, Nkomo had the ball and sent a 15-yard shot past defender Alyssa Abrahamsen (Highland, N.Y.) who was the only one between her and an otherwise open goal.
Barry’s back line, led by Amber Smith and Katie Turner, limited Florida Southern to only five shots in the game, two of them by Kirra Rainbow (Melbourne Beach, Fla.) in the final five minutes. Goalkeeper Becca Rogers had to make only two saves, one early in the second half and the other on one of Rainbow’s shots.
Moseley had three saves for Florida Southern while facing 12 shots.
Florida Southern will be on the road Tuesday for another Sunshine State Conference match at Eckerd with kickoff scheduled for 7 p.m.
