Men's Soccer Has Georgia on it's Mind

LAKELAND, Fla. – Southeastern men's soccer moved to 7-4 on the season and 3-1 in The Sun Conference last week with their second and third conference shutouts. Their trip to Miami began with a 3-0 victory over St. Thomas on Wednesday and ended with a 1-0 win over Florida Memorial on Saturday.
 
"This was a great week for us on the road," said Coach Clay Roberts. "Prior to the conference beginning we hadn't put together the performances that we desired. To go to south Florida and get two wins against teams that have been in the Top 25 and receiving votes this season was huge for us."
 
In the Fire's bout with St. Thomas, Victor Reyes scored the unassisted game winner off a stolen ball in the seventh minute of play.
 
Pedro Ivo Dias added another in the 41st on a successful penalty kick for his seventh goal of the season, then Ikenna Abika, a sophomore transfer from the College of Central Florida, scored his first goal with the Fire in the 87^th to display the final score.  
 
The seventh minute housed the game winner once again on Saturday against Florida Memorial. This time it was off the boot of Gerritson Craane who was assisted by Ivo Dias. The Fire held the Wildcats scoreless for the remaining 83 minutes.
 
"The guys had an eagerness in both games to start off well and set the tempo of the game and that's what they did," said Roberts. "We were able to score first and keep a clean sheet defensively. Having two big road wins is huge as we go on the road again next week."
 
UP NEXT:
@ Savannah College of Art & Design (TSC), Savannah, Georgia, Thursday 7 p.m.
Last Year: 11-3-4, 9-0-1 TSC…First seed in post season TSC play…Tied eighth seeded St. Thomas in quarterfinal round 1-1 then won 4-3 in PK's…Defeated fifth seeded Embry-Riddle 1-0 in semifinals…Lost to third seeded Thomas in championship game 2-1.
This Year: 5-7-2, 1-4-1 TSC…Most recently shutout by Keiser and Johnson & Wales…Senior forward Jordan Trinci-Lyne leads team with nine goals.
Previous Meeting: Tied SEU 1-1 in 2OT on September 25, 2014 in Lakeland…SCAD scored in the 13^th minute and held the lead until Ashton Hicks netted the equalizer in the 50^th
Quotable: "Despite their record, which is not as dominant as last year's conference record, they are still a top team. They will be determined to get the win as they only have three TSC games remaining. It will be a hard fought, physical and entertaining game. If we contain individual threats and establish the rhythm I believe we'll have opportunities to finish." – Coach Clay Roberts
 
@ Thomas University (TSC), Thomasville, Georgia, Saturday 1 p.m.
Last Year: 15-3-3, 7-2-1 TSC…Third seed in post season TSC play…2014 TSC Champion with 2-1 win over first seeded SCAD…Lost to St. Andrews in the NAIA opening round 2-1.
This Year: 11-2, 5-1 TSC…Ranked 7^th in most recent NAIA Top 25 Coaches' Poll…Most recently defeated Johnson & Wales 3-1 and Keiser 3-2…Junior forward Severin Abt leads team with eight goals.
Previous Meeting: Beat SEU 3-2 in OT on September 27, 2014 in Lakeland…The Fire were down 1-0 at half before Craane scored the equalizer in the 68^th and Ivo Dias scored the go-ahead in the 71^st…The Night Hawks put twos on the board in the 75^th then won it with a goal in the 8^th minute of overtime.
Quotable: "Thomas has been in the Top 25 all season and they have been a heavy favorite to win the conference from the beginning. We will have to play an extremely tight defensive game. At the same time, I believe we can get into dangerous pockets that they leave open in their attack. They've given up goals in every conference game so far, so we have to recognize the gaps they're giving us and execute when we get the opportunity." – Coach Clay Roberts

For all things Fire men's soccer, including scores and updates from these upcoming games, be sure to follow @SEUFireMSoccer on Twitter.