The 24th-ranked Florida Tech Panthers got two goals in each half Wednesday night, in their 4-0 upset win over the 8th-ranked Florida Southern Moccasins in a Sunshine State Conference tilt in Lakeland, Florida.
Florida Tech (7-2, 3-2 SSC) took down a Moccasins team that had won the most games in school history to start a season, with nine. Florida Southern had outscored their opponents 26-2 coming into the game and Wednesday night, goalie Benny Yusufoglu gave up twice as many goals as he had all season.
Aymerick Berald-Catelo got the clean sheet for the Panthers. Despite the Mocs’ holding a 15-13 advantage in shots, only two of Florida Southern’s shots were on goal and Berald-Catelo saved both in the second half. The Panthers ended the night with eight shots on goal.
Luca Campanini had the Panthers forcing the action early, as he got one shot off 30 seconds into the match and a second shot 1:12 later. Yusufoglu made both saves, but it was a sign of things to come.
Florida Tech kept pressing in the offensive zone and they got on the board with 15:21 left in the half, when Morgan Gauthier took the ball on a throw-in and let go a long shot from outside the box for his first goal of the season, giving the Panthers a 1-0 lead.
It took less than four minutes for the Panthers to double their lead when Mikkel Roisland took a crossing pass from Craig McCall and got it past the netminder, making it 2-0. The Panthers went to the locker room up by that margin.
The Mocs (9-1, 4-1 SSC) got an early chance when Christoph Gums took a free kick seven minutes in, that was blocked by Florida Tech’s wall.
The Panthers looked like they were going to add to that lead in the 64th minute when Abram Murphy, was one on one with the keeper, but shot it right at him, allowing Yusufoglu to make the save.
Foster Appiah took finally registered FSC’s first shot on goal 66:47 in. About 12 minutes later, Pablo Gallo Arias had the best chance of the night for the Mocs, with Berald-Catelo saving it off the line in a crowd.
The Panthers third goal came with 10:33 left in the match when Guillermo Segovia Marcos found Hugo Lopez who rocketed the ball off the post and in, giving the visitors a commanding 3-0 lead. It took just 60 seconds for the Panthers to put the icing on the cake when Marcos got one of his own, with an assist from Paris Junior Roserie.
For more info: Florida Tech @ Florida Southern Box Score
The Panthers return home Saturday night for another Sunshine State Conference match against Embry-Riddle University. Things will get underway at 7:00 p.m.