Box Score LAKELAND – Arie Anahory's penalty kick in the 61st minute proved to be the only goal of the night, as Florida Southern allowed just seven shots in the match but fell to Eckerd, 1-0.
Anahory, the nation's leading scorer in NCAA Division II with 27 points, notched her 11th goal of the season on the PK a little over 15 minutes into the second half. It was Anahory herself who drew the foul, giving the senior forward a chance to add to her total, spoiling a brilliant effort by the Moccasin defense.
The seven shots surrendered by the Moccasins (4-3-3, 0-3 Sunshine State Conference) were their second fewest allowed this season, and outside of the penalty kick, only three of those came from inside the 18-yard line. Senior goalkeeper Erin Moseley(Jacksonville, Fla.) made four saves, but none were especially taxing, as she played behind a back line comprised of senior Sydney Montgomery (Sanford, Fla.), juniors Christine Knudstrup (Lakeland, Fla.) and Gianna Conte (Orange Park, Fla.), and freshman Juliana Guida (Bradenton, Fla.). Freshman Jess Goedde (Batavia, Ohio) also logged 25 minutes in the second half, with the Mocs not allowing another shot after the penalty kick.
The first half was a defensive stalemate with only four shots taken, two by each team, with only one apiece on goal. Moseley made her only first-half save for the Moccasins five minutes in on a shot taken from the far right side of the box by Katie Shafer. Morgan Crescent made her only save for the Tritons (6-3, 2-0) in the 12th minute when senior Kirra Rainbow (Melbourne Beach, Fla.) took one from the left wing.
In the final 10 minutes of the first half, both teams had a chance to score but were denied by defenders making plays inside the penalty box. The Mocs had theirs with a little over eight minutes left on the clock when Rainbow played a ball deep to sophomore Kristy Legoas (Palm Harbor, Fla.), drawing Crescent off her line. Legoas kept the ball away from the Eckerd goalkeeper and would have had an open net, but Leah Chisolm was able to track the ball down and send it back out of play.
A few minutes later at the opposite end of the field, Monique Elliot seemed to have made a pass into the middle of the box from the right wing for Anahory, but Guida came sliding in at the last moment to clear the ball out of danger. Guida was also active in the air for Florida Southern, and on three separate occasions in the opening half, was the one to thwart a well-placed corner kick, free kick or cross.
In the second half, the Moccasins outshot the Tritons 7-5, with freshman Abby Bravo (Tampa, Fla.) testing Crescent on two occasions. The Mocs also had a chance to tie the game in the closing seconds when they earned a free kick that was sent into the box by Legoas, but Crescent punched it clear as time expired.
Crescent and Moseley each finished with four saves in the match, with the Mocs out-shooting the Tritons 9-7 overall.
Florida Southern will be on the road this Saturday when it faces Lynn University in Boca Raton with kickoff scheduled for 7 p.m.
