Tough Foes on Horizon for Eastern Florida Women’s, Men’s Soccer Teams
By Mark DeCotis, Eastern Florida // September 3, 2015
ADMISSION TO TITAN HOME MATCHES IS FREE
BREVARD COUNTY, FLORIDA – Eastern Florida’s women’s and men’s soccer teams will face challenges to their high national rankings this weekend.
Eastern Florida’s women (1-0), ranked second nationally in both the NJCAA Division I and the National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA) polls, host nationally ranked foes Southwestern Illinois at 4 p.m. Friday and Lewis & Clark, also of Illinois, at 5 p.m. Sunday at the Titan Soccer Complex on the Melbourne Campus.
Southwestern Illinois (1-2) is ranked 10th by the NSCAA while the NSCAA ranks Lewis & Clark (4-0) ninth.
The Eastern Florida-Southwestern Illinois game will be carried live by WEFS-TV and streamed live atwww.efsctitans.com
Eastern Florida’s men (1-0-1) are ranked fourth by the NJCAA and NSCAA. They host unbeaten Lewis & Clark (5-0) at 7:30 p.m. Sunday in a match that also will be carried live by WEFS-TV and streamed live at www.efsctitans.com
Admission to Eastern Florida home events is free.
Eastern Florida’s women opened their season last Saturday with a 3-0 lightning shortened home field victory over Andrew College of Georgia.
Eastern Florida’s men beat host Essex County College of Maryland 3-2 in overtime on Saturday and tied 2014 NJCAA national runner-up Monroe College of New York 2-2 in double overtime on Sunday, also in Maryland.
The women got two goals from freshman Paula Astiazaran and one from her fellow Spaniard and classmate Julia Hernandez in defeating Andrew College.
Sophomore Yannick Koffi scored two of the five total goals for Eastern Florida’s men while classmate Micah Smoak won the Essex game with a penalty kick golden goal.
Women’s head coach Jeff Carr and men’s boss Oliver Twelvetrees hope their teams can carry the offensive momentum into this weekend.
Carr also will look to freshman goalkeeper Esthefanny Barreras and sophomore Asmara Holmes, who split playing time against Andrew, to maintain a clean sheet and to the back four to continue to be stout.
Freshman Kekuta Jaffa manned the goal for Twelvetrees against Essex while sophomore Nate Himes got the call against Monroe.
Defending national champion Monroe College, which opens its season on Friday, leads both the NJCAA and NSCAA women’s polls. Defending champion Tyler Junior College (1-0) leads both of the men’s polls.
Also this weekend at the Titan Soccer Complex, Broward College’s women’s team faces Lewis & Clark’s women at 6 p.m. Friday and Broward’s men play Lewis & Clark’s men at 8 p.m.
On Sunday, Southwestern Illinois plays Polk State College’s women at 10 a.m.
Admission to all games is free.
Lewis & Clark’s women feature the nation’s leading scorer, freshman Nicole Howard, who has 11 goals. She also has notched six assists for a national-best 28 points.
Lewis & Clark has scored 27 goals in its four games while conceding two.
Southwestern Illinois has scored two goals while allowing five. Both of its losses were shutouts.
Lewis & Clark’s men have scored 12 goals while allowing two and recording four shutouts.
