Eric Arnau
Staff Writer
Florida Southern College Men’s Soccer officially kicked off their 2024 season– the 67th season for the team. The Mocs and Coach Ashley Holmes are looking to build off of their 5-6-6 record in the 2023 season, and succeed in the SSC .
The season got off to a hot start on Sept. 6, with the team picking up their first win of the season in their first game. Opening up 2024 with a home game at Berend Field, the Mocs took on The University of Alabama in Huntsville (UAH), coming out on top with a 3-1 victory. The opener was highlighted by a dominant performance by Mocs transfer sophomore Darcy Moffat, who tallied two goals. A third was followed by senior Trevor Sander.
Following their first win of the season, FSC faced their second of four straight non-conference games to start their year. Matching up against University of West Alabama, they settled for a 1-1 draw. This was an encouraging game, though, as FSC out-shot West Alabama 15-5, while having 7 shots on goal.
After a 1-0-1 start with a home field advantage, the team traveled to Memphis, Tennessee for a two-game set hosted by Christian Brothers University (CBU).
“Going into the two games in Memphis we knew the games were going to be tough. We had to make sure everyone was ready to battle for the whole duration of the games,” senior defender Nyles Lockridge said.
Yet, they defeated the host-college CBU 2-1 in the first game of the trip. Those two goals came from transfer sophomore Darcy Moffat, marking his second two-goal performance of the season in only three games. They then finished with another tie against Delta State University, 1-1.
Moffat scored the only goal in this one as well, which earned him conference honors as SSC Offensive Player of the Week. He totals six goals in five games.
“The mindset is being at the right place at the right time,” Moffat said. “Kind of being relentless is your scoring, so once you get one, don’t take your foot off the gas, just keep going for more, and be that leader that obviously your team needs.”
The Mocs then lost their first battle of the season against No. 2 Lynn University, 4-0, with two goals made by the Knights’ Lucas Vila. They continue to boost their 2-1-2 record Sept. 20 on Berend Field versus St. Leo University.
Results from the game against Georgia Southwestern State University were unavailable when publication was submitted.
