From the opening kickoff of their first Pool C match of the NJCAA Division I Men’s Soccer Championships, Eastern Florida stamped its authority over Morton College, and the result was a 5-1 victory that sends the Titans into the next match at 5 p.m. Wednesday against Jefferson, in a fine frame of mind. (EFSC Image)
BREVARD COUNTY • MELBOURNE, FLORIDA – From the opening kickoff of their first Pool C match of the NJCAA Division I Men’s Soccer Championships, Eastern Florida stamped its authority over Morton College, and the result was a 5-1 victory that sends the Titans into the next match at 5 p.m. Wednesday against Jefferson, in a fine frame of mind.
The tournament is being played in Martinsville, Virginia.
Oliver Twelvetrees
“We created a lot of opportunities early on; I think we had seven shots (on goal) in the first 20 minutes,” head coach Oliver Twelvetrees said.
“We had chance after chance, but we couldn’t put the ball in the net the first half. But we knew when the first goal went in that more would follow.”
“We had a game plan and we stuck to it,” added defender Wilfred Williams. “Although we didn’t score in the first half, we knew the goals were going to come.”
Having limited the Panthers to a few brief forays into their half earlier in the match – Morton’s only real chance was saved brilliantly by goalkeeper Nate Himes – Dennis Hall, who had come so close earlier in the match, tucked one away early in the second.
The Titans continued to push and Nick Medcraft made it 2-0 in short order with what Williams described as “a wonderful goal.”
Morton pulled one back after a free kick, when Fabian Damian put the ball past Himes, but after Micah Smoak served Yannick Koffi the ball for the third goal, the result was unquestionable. Yaya Cisse took the ball with his back to the goal, pivoted and found the net for the fourth goal, and the fifth was Koffi’s again, in the 89th minute, as time was being counted down.
Koffi’s success upon return from a concussion suffered last month was satisfying, Twelvetrees said.
“I was so happy to see him get the goals coming back from injury,” he said. “He played well.”
Williams said the team is confident going into its match against Jefferson, the sixth seed, and that observers should expect more of the same.
“We are going to stick to the same game plan; we love to pressure our opponents,” he said. “The way we see this is that every game presents a new team and a new season. This is for the national championship.”
