Box Score LAKELAND – Twice on Wednesday night, Aubrey Riggins was in exactly the right place at exactly the right time, and with nearly the exact time on the clock, Florida Southern scored goals less than two minutes into each half, forcing Flagler to play from behind right from the start. Riggins scored twice in the game, and Taylor Cox scored once, as the Moccasins defeated the Saints, 3-0.
The Moccasins are now 3-0-1 on the season, and all three of those wins have come by scores of 3-0. That's propelled the Mocs to their best start in four years, and Wednesday night also marked the first time in their 17-year history they've ever opened a season with three shutouts in the first four games. They've allowed only one goal thus far, something else they'd never done through the first four games of a season.
Riggins, a sophomore from Bradenton, Florida, and Cox, a junior from Palm City, did the scoring against Flagler (1-4), but the Florida Southern defense was equally impressive, allowing only four shots in the game with none of them on target. A header by Cassie Fernandez off a corner kick in the 73rd minute was the closest Flagler came to scoring and that carried high and wide. Junior center back Christine Knudstrup (Lakeland, Fla.) and her partner in the middle, freshman Juliana Guida (Bradenton, Fla.) effectively shut down any threat before it could reach the 18-yard line, as did senior Sydney Montgomery (Sanford, Fla.) and junior Gianna Conte (Orange Park, Fla.) on the outside.
While Knudstrup and Guida went the distance, the Mocs also got an outstanding performance from freshmen Jess Goedde (Batavia, Ohio) and Alex Daley (Odessa, Fla.), who played much of the second half in the back. Daley was especially impressive in her first extensive playing time of the season, and junior midfielder Taylor Chitty(Columbus, Ind.) made her mark on the defensive end as well.
That left very little action for senior goalkeeper Erin Moseley (Jacksonville, Fla.), who played the first 82 minutes, or freshman Helena Norrstrom (Saltsjobaden, Sweden) who played the final eight. They did have to contend with five Flagler corner kicks, including two against Norrstrom in her first appearance of the season, but any loose balls in the box proved to be harmless.
As far as the scoring went, Riggins notched her first goal just 1:40 into the match, making it the fourth fastest goal in team history. Ironically, three of those four have come in games against Flagler. Riggins got the chance to score thanks to sophomore Kristy Legoas (Palm Harbor, Fla.), whose corner kick to the back post was perfectly placed for a header on the first shot of the game.
Then, with 1:41 elapsed in the second half, Cox scored her goal on a shot from near the top line of the penalty box. That was assisted by freshman Abby Bravo (Clearwater, Fla.), who has played a role in four of Florida Southern's 10 goals this season. Bravo nearly scored one against Flagler too but hit the post in the 34th minute.
Riggins would make it 3-0 in the 65th minute when she rebounded in a penalty kick that was initially saved by Flagler goalkeeper Desiree Shields. The PK itself was originally set up by Riggins, who got the ball into the box for freshman Izzy Loyd (Melbourne, Fla.) before Loyd was taken down driving toward the goal. Loyd took the penalty kick, but even though it was stopped by Shields, the ball bounced directly to Riggins who hammered it in for her third goal of the season.
Florida Southern will be back at home on Saturday when it hosts 8th-ranked Barry in a non-conference game at 4:30. The Buccaneers will be the second top-25 team the Mocs have played this year, with a draw against Lenoir-Rhyne (NC) already among their results.
