The Barry Buccaneers picked up just their second win of the season on Saturday, upsetting Florida Tech 2-1 in a Sunshine State Conference match. The loss snapped the Panthers six-game winning streak and also earned them their first conference loss.
The Panthers (8-2, 5-1 SSC) got a couple shots early, including one by Luca Campanini in the 23rd minute. Campanini played about four more minutes before Brandon Smalley took his spot on the field.
Barry (2-5-2, 2-4-1 SSC) got on the board first when Toby Fura scored in the 34th minute, giving the Buccaneers a 1-0 lead. He beat FIT goalie Christopher Page and gave the visitors the early advantage.
Smalley took a shot high and wide a few moments later, but it didn’t take long for him to make an impact, as he found Italo Ramos on a crossing pass and he drilled it into the bottom of the net, past Barry goaltender Marco Sordi. That tied the game 1-1, with 43:16 gone by.
The game remained tied at one, as the two teams went into the halftime break. Florida Tech held a 10-5 shots advantage at the half and Page was not called on to make a save, while his counterpart Sordi made one. The Panthers held a 2-1 advantage on corner kicks, while Barry committed nine fouls to the Panthers eight.
The second half started with Smalley taking a corner kick 1:50 in. Stian Hagboe Olson got his head on it, but Sordi was able to make the save.
Per Henrik Nag picked up a yellow card at the 65:26 mark and moments later, after the ball appeared to go out of bounds, Barry took advantage of the non-call by the official, as Frank Lustig assisted on a goal by Ivan Arenas with 20:55 to go in the game.
Page kept his team in the game with a huge save in the 72nd minute that sent him diving across and then covering on the rebound. Unfortunately for the Panthers, Sordi was up to the task as well, making a great save on a Josh Thomas shot with 85:11 gone by and then again in the 88th minute. That second save came moments after Olson hit the post.
Olson did get another chance with 23 seconds left, but his header went wide and took with it, Florida Tech’s last chance at the equalizer.
That closed out a hard fought, hot tempered game that saw some pushing and shoving and some questionable play on both sides late in the contest that went unnoticed, or at least did not draw the attention of the referee.
The Panthers out shot the Bucs 19-13 and had six shots on goal to Barry’s four. Page made two saves in the second half, while Sordi came up with four. Each team ended the night with three corners.
For more info: Barry @ Florida Tech Box Score
The Panthers continue their homestand on Wednesday, as they will look to bounce back against the visiting Lynn Knights. The game is slated for a 7:00 p.m. start.
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