LAKELAND, Fla. – The Florida Southern College women's soccer team shut out Edward Waters University 4-0 Wednesday night at Berend Field for FSC keeper
Jenny Staten's 20
th career shutout. Her fourth of the season, Staten set a new program record for career shutouts, eclipsing the previous mark set by Martina Tangen Billing (2008-11).
The Mocs (5-3-1, 1-1 SSC) dominated the ball for the entire 90 minutes, led by
Anita Vera with two goals in the second half. The Tigers (5-1-2) had three shots, all on goal, in the game but struggled to fend off the speed of Florida Southern in EWU's first loss of the season.
Florida Southern had 15 shots in the first half, nine on goal, in an impressive show of speed and athleticism. The Mocs controlled the ball for nearly all of the first half with the night's first goal 18 minutes into the game.
Rilee Hasegawa stole a deflected pass and a short cross past the keeper found
Malia Brost for an open goal.
In the 26
th minute,
Sierra Spirk delivered a short pass to a sprinting
Ally Prentice who had a one-on-one with the goalie, and a great goal outside the reach of EWU's keeper. FSC finished the first half with a 15-to-two advantage in shots and an impressive eight corners. Staten faced two shots in the first 45, both of which she saved for the 2-0 lead at halftime.
FSC continued to attack in the second half and within one minute of entering the field as a substitution, Vera scored her first goal off a pass by
Haley Thomassy as she outran her defender for a one-on-one with the keeper, which went right for the net. In the 78
th minute, a deflection between EWU and
Alison Jenkins bounced right in front of Vera, who spun around and right foot for the goal, her second of the night.
Halfway through the second half, congestion in front of Staten nearly led to a goal, but good defense by the Mocs was able to stop the attack. The Tigers had one shot in the second half, which Staten saved to keep her shutout alive. Florida Southern continued to maintain possession in the final minutes and sealed the 4-0 win and shutout for Staten.
Mocs set a new season-high of 38 shots, 19 of which were on goal. The Tigers finished with three shots, each accounted as saves for Staten by the game's final. FSC also had 13 corners, allowing none for EWU.
Staten earned her 20
th career shutout in just 53 games, breaking a school record previously set by Martina Tangen Billing (2008-11). The 4-0 win was her fourth shutout of the 2023 season. The 20 shutouts put her in the top 10 of active NCAA Division II keepers for career shutouts. Staten already holds a single-season FSC record of 0.90 GAA, set in last year's historic season. She is ninth all-time in SSC history in shutouts, with several games left in her record-breaking season.
The Mocs will resume conference play as they travel to Fort Lauderdale on Saturday, Sept. 30 to face No. 24 Nova Southeastern at 7 p.m. at the NSU Soccer Complex.
