Asher Gibbons
Sports Editor
The men’s soccer team wrapped up its season earlier in November, falling to Palm Beach Atlantic in the SSC Championship Quarterfinals. However, reaching that stage required considerable determination and focus, as the team needed a late-season surge just to get there.
Following a 1-2 loss to Nova Southeastern University on October 25, the Mocs dropped to 4-7-2. With their backs against the wall, one more defeat would likely seal their fate and knock them out of postseason contention.
On October 29, the team got off to an impressive start against Embry-Riddle, taking an early lead thanks to a goal in the ninth minute by Joao Lopes. Ultimately, they took home a 3-1 victory in Daytona Beach after logging eight total shots, five of which were on goal.
After two days off, Barry University came to town to face the Men’s Soccer team on their Senior Day. It was a feisty matchup, as the referees showed 10 yellow cards. Junior Darcy Moffat scored both goals for the Moccasins, aiding his team to a 2-1 win and improving their record to 6-7-2. The win against Barry propelled Florida Southern into a playoff spot, as they began to prepare for a tough matchup against #2-ranked Palm Beach Atlantic University, arguably the second-best team in DII Soccer.
“I think the guys, and we talked about it all the time, felt that we were playing well. It just wasn’t the kind of going on the field the way that we wanted it to go,” said Head Coach Ashley Holmes, “I just said, keep the belief, keep kind of persevering. And to be fair, the guys were great, and the training was still energetic.”
Defense was the key to success in the quarterfinal game that took place in West Palm Beach on Nov. 10, with each goalie recording one save in the first 45 minutes. The Mocs totaled eight shots in the second half, but neither team was able to score during regulation.
Entering overtime against Palm Beach felt like a win in itself, but the excellent defending kept the game even through the first overtime period. In the 104th minute of the match, Tin Vastic scored the only goal of the night, helping his team advance past the Mocs and into the next round of the tournament.
“At the end of the day, we’re disappointed to not get the result. I think that’s pretty obvious. But in terms of the preparation, the game was probably one of the best games we’ve had in a number of years. I felt that we were fantastic from start to finish, just missing maybe a little bit of quality, which they showed to get their goal,” said Holmes. “I felt we battled, we fought, we ran, we probably dictated the vast majority of the game, to be honest.”
Holmes now has to prepare for the next season, having been given a good building block after the close battle against Palm Beach to end the year. He’s expecting most of the roster to return, giving him more time to work with the team over the offseason.
“They kind of put themselves in a situation where we could go and have that night at PBA. And we’ve got a lot of guys coming back now,” said Holmes. “We’re excited about the kind of impression we’ve left on this season. I’m excited. The guys have put us in a good position to be successful moving forward.”
