LAKELAND, Fla. - The Florida Southern College men's soccer team opened up the 2023 season hot, scoring early in the first half, but Mississippi College had three consecutive goals forcing the Moccasins to fight from behind. FSC was able to close the gap with a late goal but ultimately fell in the home opener 3-2 on Saturday evening.
The Mocs (0-1, 0-0 SSC), dominated the ball with 11 shots, having five in the first half and six in the second half, but the Choctaws had nine shots with five on goal that outdid FSC's three shots on goal.
The early goal for the Mocs was scored by senior
Kyle Carr off a pass from the backfield by sophomore
Ruben Linden going over the keeper into the top of the net to put FSC on the board early 1-0 at the 1:15 mark.
Florida Southern lead was cut short after a goal from Mississippi College's midfielder to tie the game at 1-1 at 9:52. Shortly after the Choctaws scored on back-to-back goals, the first one coming in at 11:08 followed by the third and final goal twenty-seven seconds later to make it 3-1.
The Mocs went into the second half with a different lineup to try and cut the deficit as FSC continued to put pressure on the defense. Late in the final half, Linden hit a cross sending the ball toward the net where freshman
Joe Maxwell scored his first collegiate goal finding the bottom of the net and closing the gap 3-2.
With time dwindling down after the 81:17 goal from Maxwell, FSC had just under 10 minutes to put pressure on as a shot by Maxwell was blocked at 87:49 concluding the opening night on Berend Field for Florida Southern.
In goal, sophomore
Lasse Dettmer had two saves on the night while the Choctaws had one. Linden collected two assists on opening night as Maxwell led the offense with three shots and a goal followed by Carr with two shots and a goal.
Felix Tonne also had two shots, followed by
Mathias Kjolner,
Jay Skelcher-Maxwell,
Sam Michaels, and Ruben each having a shot on the night.
The Mocs will have a quick turnaround as they host Delta State on Monday, Sept. 4 to close out opening weekend. The kickoff is scheduled for 1:00 p.m.
