LAKELAND, Fla. – The Fire men's soccer team sent sparks flying on Tuesday as they moved to 4-3 with a come from behind, 4-3 win over the Eagles of Trinity Baptist; a morale boosting victory just in time for Sun Conference play.
Down 3-1 with just under 30 minutes to play,
Pedro Ivo Dias found the net for his second successful PK to make it a one goal game.
Jake Van Der Luit claimed the equalizer two minutes and 33 seconds later before
Victor Reyes put the Fire ahead for good in the 68
th minute.
"We didn't start the game the way we wanted, but were composed enough to fight back and execute the second half against a good Trinity Baptist team," said Coach
Clay Roberts. "The win gives us confidence that we have it within us to come back from a deficit and pull out a victory against a good opponent."
UP NEXT:Home vs. Keiser University (TSC) on Wednesday at 7:30 p.m.LAST YEAR: Defeated SEU 1-0 in OT on 10/1/14, Finished 9-5-3, 6-2-2 TSC and seeded fourth in post season, Lost to fifth seed Embry-Riddle in the TSC quarterfinals after a 2-2 2OT draw was broken nine PK's to eight, Enjoyed an automatic host-team bid to the NAIA tournament where they upset first seed Rio Grande 3-2 in OT then fell to the University of Texas at Brownsville, 4-0, in the quarterfinals.
THIS YEAR: 3-5-1, 2-0 TSC, Most recently defeated Warner 2-0, and Webber, 2-1 in 2OT
QUOTABLE: "We'll need to manage the first 15 minutes of each half and play with extreme intensity as Keiser is a very talented and athletic group. If we expose the space they create from their style of play, we will be in a good position to score goals. We are hungry for a win after last year's outcome." – Coach
Clay Roberts Home vs. Johnson & Wales University (TSC) on Saturday at 7:30 p.m.LAST YEAR: Lost to SEU 2-1 in 2OT on 10/4/14, Finished 5-11, 2-8 TSC
THIS YEAR: 2-4-2, 1-1 TSC, Most recently lost to Webber 4-3, then defeated Warner 3-1, Play Ave Maria tomorrow before traveling to Lakeland on Saturday
QUOTABLE: "Johnson and Wales is a very talented team. They will try to possess the ball and use their speed to get behind us defensively. If we win our 1v1 match ups and break up their possession throughout the game, I believe we can expose them in the back." – Coach
Clay Roberts QUOTABLE TOO: "In the first seven games of the year, we have probably experienced every situation that we may face in TSC play and have grown from each one. I believe that we are prepared for conference play heading into our first match, but we'll have to be mentally strong this week to come out with two big wins."
For all things Fire men's soccer, including scores and updates from the upcoming TSC matches, be sure to follow @SEUFireMSoccer on Twitter.
