Eastern Florida Men’s Soccer Team Outlasts Florida National, 2-1
By Mark DeCotis // September 19, 2015
BREVARD COUNTY • MELBOURNE, FLORIDA – A victory in any form is a victory and Eastern Florida’s men ’s soccer team will take it.
The Titans waited out a one-hour lightning delay and outlasted a scrappy and determined Florida National University team for a 2-1 victory on Friday at the Titan Soccer Complex on the Melbourne Campus.
Eastern Florida improved to 4-0-1 and moved its home field record to 15-0-1 in its third year as a program. It also defended its consensus NJCAA and National Soccer Coaches Association of America No. 2 national ranking.
But the victory didn’t come without a struggle.
Florida National played a man down for 67 of the 90 minutes after a red card ejection but gave the Titans all they could handle.
The ejection led to a penalty kick which Eastern Florida freshman J.J. Donnelly missed with just under 23 minutes to play in the first half. The miss was the fourth for the Titans this season.
Donnelly atoned eight minutes later as he slotted home a rebound of a Yannick Koffi strike for a 1-0 Titan lead.
The score held until Florida National’s Marcus Stein drove home a rocket of a shot from 45 yards out, beating Eastern Florida goalkeeper Kekuta Jatta with 34:14 remaining in the game.
The goal shifted the momentum until Eastern Florida freshman Nick Medcraft scored with 19:07 to play for the final margin.
Florida National of the United States Collegiate Athletic Association fell to 2-4-5.
Next up for Eastern Florida is its first Florida College System Activities Association/NJCAA Region 8 match of the season as it hosts Broward College at 7 p.m. Sept. 25.
The game will be televised live on WEFS-TV and streamed at www.efsctitans.com
Admission is free.
