LAKELAND, Fla. – The Florida Southern College women's soccer team defeated Barry University on Saturday night by a final score of 2-1, earning the program's first Sunshine State Conference regular season championship with the victory.
The Moccasins (11-1-3, 7-1-1 SSC) won their seventh consecutive game, taking down the Buccaneers (7-4-4, 2-3-4 SSC) despite the visitors scoring the first goal of the game in the fifth minute.
It was the first time this season that the Moccasins gave up the game's opening goal, but Senior
Jenny Staten was razor-sharp in goal for the remainder of the contest, making seven saves to help secure the win for Florida Southern.
Freshman
Malia Brost had a career game for the Moccasins, as she tied the game with an unbelievable goal in the 43
rd minute. After taking a pass from
Anita Vera, Brost rushed down the left wing, delivering a sharp angle shot from the edge of the box. Her shot clanged off the inner portion of the far post and thundered to the back of the net, giving the Moccasins the momentum headed into the half.
The teams went to the locker room with the Bucs leading in most statistical categories, but the score still knotted at one.
Over the course of the game, Barry amassed 21 fouls, none of which were more important than when
Angelina Coelho drew one in the 41
st minute from the center of the Moccasin half of the field.
Lindsey Meyer took the ensuing free kick, dropping the ball into the box. While the initial bid was blocked, Meyer's second chance found its way to the goal line. Brost outran the back line of defense and dished the ball to
Caitlyn Lowery, who scored her tenth goal of the season to put the Moccasins up by one.
Staten wound up making three saves in the second half as the Mocs weathered a storm of opportunities from the Bucs.
Tatum Albrecht,
Jordan King,
Morgan Collica,
Brooke Lowery, and
Madison Male each played all 90 minutes to help secure the win for the Mocs defensively in the second half.
The win, coupled with other outcomes in the Sunshine State Conference means that the Moccasins have clinched the number-one seed in the SSC tournament, and secures the regular-season championship for the Florida Southern College women's soccer team, the first in program history.
The team will close out regular-season competition on Tuesday night as they host the Rollins College Tars before the Mocs begin competition in the SSC Tournament on Nov. 3.
