DeLAND, Fla. — After finding another gear during a two-game road swing, Stetson men's soccer returns home Saturday night with its attention back on the ASUN race. The Hatters welcome Jacksonville to the Athletic Training Center for a 7 p.m. kickoff in a matchup carrying important points for both sides.

Stetson returns to DeLand at 4-6-2 overall and 2-3 in conference play after putting together its most productive offensive stretch of the season. The Hatters followed a 4-1 victory at Lipscomb with another four-goal performance Tuesday night at South Florida, using two goals in the final six minutes to leave Tampa with a 4-2 victory.

Jacksonville enters Saturday at 4-4-2 overall and 0-2-2 in the ASUN. While the Dolphins are still searching for their first conference victory, they have proven difficult to break down throughout the fall, allowing only nine goals across 10 matches and never conceding more than twice in a game.

For much of September, Stetson's biggest question was when a steady supply of chances would begin turning into goals. Over the last two matches, the answer has arrived emphatically.

The Hatters have scored eight times in their last 180 minutes, following Saturday's 4-1 conference victory at Lipscomb with a 4-2 win at South Florida on Tuesday. The back-to-back four-goal performances have nearly doubled Stetson's season total in the span of four days. After scoring nine goals through its first 10 matches, Stetson now owns 17 through 12.

The production has also come in different ways. Stetson scored three times before halftime at Lipscomb to take control early, then showed an ability to respond and finish late in Tampa. After entering halftime against South Florida tied 1-1, the Hatters scored three times over the final 45 minutes, including two goals separated by just 23 seconds late in the match.

It marks the first time this season Stetson has won consecutive matches, and both victories have come away from home. The Hatters now return to the Athletic Training Center looking to carry that momentum into a critical stretch of conference play.

Perhaps the most encouraging part of Stetson's recent scoring surge has been where the goals have come from.

Seven different Hatters have found the back of the net during the last two matches. Reigning ASUN Player of the Week, Afonso Conde, scored twice at Lipscomb, while Benjamin Donato and Zsombor Pall added goals of their own. Three nights later, Matthew Perez, Mauricio Restrepo, Justin Blanco and Valentin Fontaine supplied four different scorers against South Florida.

That balance has quickly reshaped the season scoring chart. Conde remains the team leader with four goals, while Perez has moved to three. Blanco, Restrepo and Williams Mills have two apiece, with Fontaine, Donato, Pall and Maurice Hauser also finding the net this season.

Perez has been particularly active throughout the fall. The freshman enters Saturday tied with Conde for the team lead with eight points, producing three goals and two assists while leading the Hatters with 22 shots and 10 attempts on target.

Israel Daniels has helped connect many of those chances. The sophomore recorded two assists Tuesday at South Florida and now leads Stetson with four assists on the season. His two-helper performance in Tampa came after he also contributed an assist in the win at Lipscomb.

The recent scoring run has not required Stetson to dramatically increase its shot volume. Instead, the difference has come in what the Hatters have done with those opportunities.

Stetson enters Saturday averaging 12.3 shots per match, having produced 147 attempts through 12 games. The Hatters have put 48 of those shots on frame and scored 17 times, good for 1.42 goals per game.

Tuesday night provided perhaps the clearest example of that improved efficiency. South Florida finished with an 18-7 advantage in total attempts, but the teams each put five shots on goal. Stetson converted four of its five opportunities on frame to turn a limited number of chances into its second straight four-goal performance.

That finishing will be tested Saturday. Jacksonville has surrendered only nine goals all season and owns a 0.90 goals-against average as a team. The Dolphins have held five of their 10 opponents to one goal or fewer and have recorded three clean sheets.

Tuesday's win showed another side of a Stetson team beginning to find different paths to a result.

After Mauricio Restrepo answered South Florida's early opener to send the match into halftime tied, Matthew Perez put Stetson ahead early in the second half. The Bulls responded to make it 2-2, leaving the match level deep into the closing minutes.

Then came the breakthrough. Freshman Justin Blanco delivered the eventual game-winner in the 85th minute, striking from distance to put the Hatters back in front. Just 23 seconds later, Valentin Fontaine converted from the penalty spot to turn a tie match into a 4-2 advantage.

The goal was Blanco's second of the season and gave the freshman goals in two of Stetson's four victories. Fontaine's penalty was his first goal of the year, while Perez moved into second on the team with his third.

Mac McCall helped make the late surge stand, finishing with three saves in his fifth start of the season. Stetson has now received wins from both McCall and Murillo Mello in goal, with each goalkeeper owning two victories this fall.

After Tuesday's non-conference trip to Tampa, Saturday brings the focus directly back to the ASUN and an increasingly important stretch of the schedule.

Stetson enters the weekend with six conference points from five matches after splitting its first four league contests before breaking through for the 4-1 victory at Lipscomb. With the conference tournament picture continuing to take shape, each remaining opportunity carries additional weight.

Jacksonville arrives in DeLand searching for its first ASUN victory at 0-2-2. The Dolphins have earned points through draws at Queens and Central Arkansas, while their two conference defeats have each come by a single goal against North Florida and Lipscomb.

That leaves Saturday as an opportunity for Stetson to build on its win in Nashville and add another three points before the ASUN race moves deeper into October.

Jacksonville brings one of the more intriguing statistical profiles in the ASUN to DeLand. The Dolphins sit at an even 4-4-2 overall and have been particularly difficult to break down, allowing nine goals through 10 matches while holding opponents to 8.8 shots per game.

The results have been even tighter since conference play began. Jacksonville's four ASUN matches have produced only eight combined goals. The Dolphins opened league play with a 2-1 loss to North Florida before earning a 1-1 draw at Queens. A 1-0 loss to Lipscomb followed before Jacksonville picked up another road point with a 1-1 draw at Central Arkansas.

The Dolphins briefly stepped away from conference play to earn a 1-0 road victory at Memphis on Sept. 29 before dropping another 1-0 decision at Georgia State on Tuesday. Jacksonville has therefore allowed just five goals over its last seven matches and has not conceded more than one in any of its last six.

Offensively, Jacksonville has scored 16 goals while averaging just under 10 shots per match. Matias Tobon has been the centerpiece of that attack, leading the Dolphins with four goals and 10 points while adding two assists. Emanuel Cappello and Romain Spailier follow with three goals apiece, while Quinten Koster has contributed two.

Jacksonville also has multiple players capable of creating the final pass. Dante Wright and Leonardo Davi C Santos share the team lead with three assists, while Tobon has two.

In goal, Simen Havig has handled nearly all of the work. Havig has started nine of Jacksonville's 10 matches and carries a 1.00 goals-against average with 32 saves and a .780 save percentage. He has recorded two clean sheets, including a six-save performance in Jacksonville's 1-0 win at Memphis.

Saturday's matchup brings together two teams whose most recent strengths sit on opposite sides of the ball.

Stetson arrives having scored eight times in two matches. Jacksonville, meanwhile, has conceded only five times over its last seven and has allowed more than one goal just twice all season.

The contrast extends to how the two teams have generated their results. Stetson averages 12.3 shots per game compared with Jacksonville's 9.9, while the Dolphins have been more selective with their attempts, putting 57 of 99 shots on target. Stetson has placed 48 of 147 attempts on frame.

Jacksonville's defense has also limited the amount of work opponents can generate, surrendering only 88 shots through 10 games. The Dolphins have conceded nine goals from those opportunities, while Stetson enters Saturday having scored on eight of its last 13 shots on goal.

That sets up a straightforward challenge: a Hatter attack playing its most confident soccer of the season against a Jacksonville side that has rarely allowed opponents to turn matches into high-scoring affairs.

Saturday also ends a three-match stretch away from the Athletic Training Center and brings Stetson back to DeLand for the first time since its Sept. 22 draw with UCF.

The Hatters are 2-2-1 at home this season, with victories over West Florida and Presbyterian, a draw against UCF and narrow one-goal losses to Georgia Southern and Queens.

Stetson has been particularly productive during its last three home appearances. The Hatters defeated West Florida 2-0, followed with a 4-1 victory over Presbyterian and earned a 1-1 draw against UCF, scoring seven goals while allowing just two across that stretch.

Now, after consecutive road victories, the Hatters return home looking to connect those two pieces of their season and keep their October momentum moving forward.

Kickoff is scheduled for 7 p.m. ET Saturday at the Athletic Training Center in DeLand, Florida. Live coverage information and live statistics will be available through GoHatters.com.

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