Box Score
MIAMI SHORES â€" Making its first appearance in the Sunshine State Conference Tournament since 2006, 5th-seeded Florida Southern got a game-tying goal from sophomore Alexi Cortez in the 56th minute, but after playing to a 1-1 tie with 4th-seeded Barry, the Moccasins were eliminated in the penalty kick tie-breaker, 4-2.
While the overall possession was about equal, Florida Southern (5-8-2) created more chances at the start, the first of which came when Jonathan Radvogin (Vasteras, Sweden) sent Ricky Marton (Naperville, Ill.) down the right wing for a shot. Radvogin would be involved in the next chance five minutes later when he rocketed a shot off of the goalkeeper from close range; the rebound ended up on the foot of freshman midfielder Corey Mills (Wellington, New Zealand) who missed to the left of the cage.
Barry (8-8-2) would start their countering push at the 25-minute mark when Nico Gercke went one-on-one with goalkeeper Cole Clingerman (Auburndale, Fla.), and missed his opportunity to open the scoring as his chip shot hit the top of the crossbar. They would send a flurry of long shots on goal forcing Clingerman to make some key stops to keep the scoreless tie over the next ten minutes. The Bucs would finally connect on one of their chances when Kris Wilkinson would send a shot from 28 yards out into the top right corner past a diving Clingerman which would turn out to be the only tally of the period for either team.
The Moccasins would come out of the intermission with one thing on their mind: scoring. After Carlos Rodriguez (Tampa, Fla.) could not find a way to get off a shot on chances in the 48th and 55th minutes, Cortez found the answer as he took advantage of a Buccaneer defensive breakdown in the 56th minute.
From that point on, the game turned into a dogfight, with the two teams combining for 52 fouls, 8 yellow cards, and one red card. Neither team could gain control of the momentum. The rotating defensive line of Marton, Petter Allansson (Savedalen, Sweden), James Gibson (Cape Coral, Fla.), Patrick Abrahamsson (Frolunda, Sweden), and Clay Clingerman (Auburndale, Fla.) was able to do everything they could to help their goalkeeper keep Florida Southern in the game.Â
The Moccasin offense had a few chances toward the end of regulation, none of which were bigger than Radvogin’s shot in the 85th minute that got past Barry goalie Johnny Rodrigues, but was unable to find its way into the back of the net due to a sliding Buccaneer defender.
In overtime, Cole Clingerman showed off his quick reflexes as he flung himself into the air to deflect the ball right of the goal two minutes into the first extra period. Allansson also made a key clear after a Barry corner ended up bouncing around the box. Mills was almost the hero in the 96th minute when he whistled a shot through Rodrigues’ legs but sent off the inside of the right post. Both teams’ goalkeepers got a much needed break in the second overtime period as neither of them faced a challenging shot on goal.
Florida Southern senior captain Luke Jenner (Preston, England) opened the shootout with a goal to gain an early lead, 1-0. Barry’s goalkeeper Rodrigues started off the tiebreaker for the Buccaneers with a goal of his own to tie things at one. After Jeremiah Garcia’s (Red Oak, Texas) shot was saved and Rodriguez sent his over the crossbar, Barry converted both of its chances to take a 3-1 lead. The pressure was on for senior Adam Hansjons (Upplands Vasby, Sweden) who blasted the ball into the back of the net to draw the Mocs within one. Unfortunately, the hole was too deep to dig out of, as Nico Gercke scored to send Barry to the tournament semifinals on Friday.
