Box Score ST. PETERSBURG – Based on the way Wednesday night's non-conference game between Florida Southern and Eckerd started, the final score line had to be a bit jarring. For a large portion of the first half the teams were struggling just to get the ball into the box, much less find room to shoot. As it turned out, Anna Griessler had no such problems for the Moccasins. The freshman forward came off the bench late in the first half, and then scored three times in the second half to lead Florida Southern to a 4-2 victory over the Tritons.
Griessler became the first Moccasin with a hat trick since Kara Moore scored all three goals for Florida Southern in a 3-1 win over Eckerd in 2012. The last freshman to accomplish that was Alex Hoover in a 5-1 win at Flagler in 2008.
Griessler's first goal just over a minute into the second half gave the Moccasins a 2-0 lead, but the Tritons came right back four minutes to cut the lead in half. Griessler scored again in the 63rd minute, and this time the Tritons needed just 35 seconds to cut into the lead again. When Griessler scored for the third time in the 74th minute, the Tritons had no answer and the Mocs were able to hold on for the 4-2 win. It was the highest scoring game in the series since a 6-0 win by the Moccasins in 2008.
Oddly enough for a game with six goals, the teams combined for just one shot in the first 20 minutes, and though that attempt from Florida Southern senior midfielder Taylor Cox was hard and true, it still came from some distance and was easily saved by Eckerd goalkeeper Angelique Ulmer. Perhaps a more dangerous moment for the Eckerd defense came when Moccasin left back Erin Phillips served a ball long into the middle that was misplayed by the Tritons in the back and gave Caroline Evers a scoring chance. Ulmer reached the ball first though, and the Mocs were unable to get a shot out of the play.
The game opened up a bit in the final 10 minutes of the half, and the Moccasins were able to score in the 39th minute after winning their first corner kick of the night. The Tritons had knocked the ball over the end line following a cross by Dominique Cirnigliaro that went directly in front of the goal but out of reach for any of the Florida Southern attackers. Given another chance though, the Mocs turned the corner kick into a goal when junior Sheila Ramos sent the ball curling into the box, and sophomore Madi Colaw finished it with the first goal of her career.
Griessler then started her scoring spree 1:07 into the second half by intercepting a clearance by the Tritons and driving straight to the goal where she beat Ulmer 1-on-1 for her third goal of the season. The Tritons came right back to make it a 2-1 game though when Katie Shafer scored the first of her two goals by converting a high cross from the right sideline from the foot of defender Colleen Owen.
The Moccasins re-claimed their 2-goal advantage on another corner kick, this time with Ramos finding Griessler for a header in front of the Eckerd net in the 63rd minute. Again Eckerd cut the lead to one, as Shafer headed in a free kick from Taylor Tippett less than a minute later, making it a 3-2 game.
What proved to be the final goal of the night came with 16:04 on the clock, and Griessler's hat trick was complete with assistance from redshirt freshman Megan Styron. Styron's high arcing cross out of the right corner appeared to go through the hands of Ulmer, and Griessler took advantage of the miscue by knocking the ball into an open net.
Even worse for Eckerd, Ulmer was injured on the play, and with no true backup available, the Tritons turned to senior forward Corrie Bexley to play the final 16 minutes in goal. The Mocs were able to test her only once though, with a shot by Kylie Harris saved in the 79th minute.
After taking their 4-2 lead, the Moccasins surrendered only one more shot themselves, and it sailed harmlessly high from outside the box. Overall the Tritons were held to eight shots in the game by the Mocs' starting backline of seniors Christine Knudstrup and Erin Phillips, and sophomores Juliana Guida and Alex Daley.
Helena Norrstrom made one save for Florida Southern, and Ulmer made three for Eckerd in 74 minutes.
Florida Southern will wrap up the regular season on Saturday at Saint Leo in a game the Moccasins need to win in order to keep their SSC Tournament hopes alive. Game time is 7 p.m.
