DeLand, Fla. - The Stetson men's soccer team (1-0-0) defeated Florida Tech 4-0 in its official 2011 debut Saturday evening at the Stetson Soccer Complex, getting goals from four different players in the process. Junior midfielder Kai Eckenrode (Springfield, Va.) recorded two assists for Stetson, which improved to 5-0-0 in season openers under Head Coach T. Logan Fleck.
The Hatters jumped on the scoreboard just 3:08 into the match and the season when sophomore Steven Saballos (Miami, Fla.) ripped a drive into the box that was beautifully deflected by sophomore Evan Jimmo (Melbourne, Fla.) into the corner of the goal. The score remained 1-0 for most of the rest of the first half, but Stetson would strike again in the 44th minute as senior Gonzalo de Mujica (Buenos Aires, Argentina) finished an Eckenrode serve. The Hatters went to halftime leading Florida Tech 2-0.
Stetson added two insurance goals in the second period, starting with Eckenrode's cross to junior Jonathan Mendoza (Bogota, Colombia) in the 51st minute that he drove into the lower left corner. Senior Joakim Helland (Bergen, Norway) put an exclamation point on the night with a goal in the 87th minute, putting home a pass from freshman Dwight Lodge (Miramar, Fla.).
Sophomore Andreas Schnabl (Blaichach, Germany) made two saves and recorded his sixth career shutout, moving into a tie for fifth in Stetson men's soccer history in that category. Saballos, a Charlotte transfer, and Lodge recorded points in their first career matches for the Hatters.
"I was pleased with our good beginning to the season tonight," Coach Fleck said. "I saw some bright spots and also some things on which we need to work a little more. It was good to get the shutout, but we still need to work harder to get to the level we want."
Stetson will travel to Columbus, Ohio for the Bert & Iris Wolstein Classic next weekend, facing a pair of nationally ranked Big Ten opponents. The Hatters face #18 Penn State at 5:00 pm Friday before challenging tourney host #15 Ohio State at 1:30 pm Sunday.
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