The Stetson men's soccer team remained undefeated in
preseason play, defeating Florida
Southern at home by a score of 3-1 on Friday evening. Senior Jonathan
Mendoza scored two goals and assisted on another to lead the
Hatters in their first match at the newly renovated Stetson Soccer Complex.
Stetson had a number of chances going forward in the first
half, but it was Florida
Southern who took advantage early. The
Mocs went up 1-0 in the 20th minute of action when a ball down the
left side was played into the box and the Florida Southern forward put it in the back
of the net.
It took just about another 20 minutes before the Hatters
could even the score, making it 1-1 in the 39th minute of play. Mendoza
received a ball about 35 yards from the goal, took one touch forward and beat
the Mocs' goalkeeper to the lower left corner of the net.
Fitness became an issue for both squads in the second half,
but the experienced Stetson squad was able to take advantage of the
situation. Within a span of a couple of
minutes about 15 minutes into the second frame, the Hatters scored a pair of
nearly identical goals to put the game away at 3-1.
The first opportunity began with a long through ball from
senior Luis Ocejo out of the
back. His pass found Mendoza
sprinting past the Florida
Southern defense. Gaining the attention
of the Mocs' goalkeeper, the speedy midfielder played the ball back to senior Kai Eckenrode, who finished it easily in the back of
the net.
Things felt eerily similar two minutes later when Ocejo
played another long ball up the left side to a streaking Mendoza behind the defense. This time the Atlantic Sun Conference
Preseason Player of the Year finished it off himself, beating the keeper to the
right and finishing it in the side netting.
"There were a couple of good goals," Head Coach T. Logan
Fleck said following the match. "There
was some good combination passing through the midfield, but we still need to
work on our ability to both defend and attack as a unit."
"We wanted to move the ball a little quicker," Ocejo said of
the team's play. "Now we know what we
need to work on to get ready for Penn
State." When asked who stood out on the team tonight,
Ocejo responded with, "Jonny [Mendoza]. He had two goals, one assist, and he kept the
ball moving."
Stetson will kickoff regular season action at 2011 Big Ten
runner-up Penn State Saturday, August 25. The Hatters will play three games on the
road, before returning for the home-opener against Jacksonville on September 7.
Coach Fleck Interview
Luis Ocejo Interview
