LAKELAND - Talk about starting off on the right foot. Ryan Sniegoski got the win in his head coaching debut at Florida Southern, and a pair of freshmen helped him get it with impressive starts of their own. Jonathan Radvogin scored twice for the Moccasins, and Nico Guevara set up all three Florida Southern goals, as FSC defeated Warner 3-1 at Barnett Field Saturday night.

As the fifth head coach in the program's 57-year history, Sniegoski became the third straight to win his first game. Radvogin scored the first goal less than eight minutes into the game, sophomore Carlos Rodriguez (Tampa, Fla.) gave them a 2-0 lead at the 52-minute mark, and after Warner nearly tied the score late, Radvogin put the game away with 1:03 remaining. The native of Vasteras, Sweden is the tenth freshman in team history to score two goals in his first collegiate game, and the first since Asa Pepia had a hat trick in a 5-2 win over Bryant (RI) in 2002.

Guevara etched his name in the record book too Saturday night. The freshman forward from Weston, Florida became the first Moccasin ever to debut with three assists, and helped set up several other opportunities throughout the match as well.

They weren't  the only rookies with a good-looking night on the stat sheet. Freshman goalkeeper Cole Clingerman (Auburndale, Fla.) made five saves, all in the second half, freshman midfielder Corey Mills (Wellington, New Zealand) got free for a team-high three shots and was one of the offensive catalysts, and freshman defender Simmule Turner (Southlake, Texas) helped the Mocs hold Warner without a shot in the first half. Mills nearly scored late in the first half when one of his shots nicked the left post.

The Moccasin defense was in such control in the first 45 minutes, for a long time it looked as if Radvogin's eighth-minute goal would be all they'd need. The most serious threat against them in the first half came on a counter-attack that midfielder Mitchell Francois (Frisco, Texas) slowed down while the Mocs re-grouped.

It also looked like Clingerman might not have to make a single save, as the Mocs held the Royals without a shot until the 60th minute. By that point the Mocs were already up 2-0, after Rodriguez had danced around the top right side of the box and out-maneuvered the Royals for the fourth goal of his young career.

Clingerman ended up having to work for the win, though, and finished the night with five saves in the final 30 minutes, none more difficult perhaps than his first. It came on a free kick by Jonathan Freiria from just outside the box. Sending the ball around the wall, Freiria forced Clingerman into a diving save to his right where he was forced to make another one against Elie Emile coming in from the side of the box. He made two more saves on shots inside the box in the 76th and 78th minutes before tipping one over the bar in the 84th.

Senior defender Ricky Marton (Naperville, Ill.) also came up big in the closing minutes. The Royals broke through when Bruno da Silva punched one home in the 82nd minute, and only Marton prevented them from tying the score four minutes later. A header by Diego De la Fuente was on its way into the net before Marton cleared it off the line with Clingerman unable to make a play on the ball.

It was the last opportunity for the Royals, and Radvogin would put the game out of reach with his 88th-minute goal.

Both teams finished with nine shots in the match, with the Moccasin back line of Turner, Marton, James Gibson (Cape Coral, Fla.), Petter Allansson (Savedalen, Sweden) and Clay Clingerman (Auburndale, Fla.) combining for the single-digit night.

Florida Southern will play its next match Tuesday night when it hosts Embry-Riddle University at 7 p.m.