Box Score LAKELAND, Fla.—The Fire men's soccer team fought valiantly on the road in their match with Keiser University, but ultimately fell short by a score of 1-0.
Not only did Southeastern have to battle the Seahawks, but they also had to deal with inclement weather throughout the contest. Downpours of rain created scattered puddles of water that acted as defenders by stopping the dribble and passes of both teams.
In the first half, the Fire had the majority of the shot attempts and possession, while Keiser had a couple good opportunities off the counterattack. Southeastern outshot the Seahawks 4-2, with Jake Van der Luit taking three of the Fire shots. Despite the chances, the scored remained deadlocked heading into the half.
Early in the second half, Keiser started to control the match. The Seahawks generated more scoring chances and looked to go ahead. In the 64
th minute, a throw-in bounced in the box and made its way to the feet of Amine Meski, who beat
Jorge Navarrete for his sixth goal of the season. Navarrete played well, saving two out of the three shots he faced.
The Fire put the pressure on the Seahawks after they went behind. Southeastern registered four of the next five shots in the contest, while holding possession regularly; however the Fire were unable to tie the game in the dying moments. The closest SEU got to breaking through occurred shortly after the Seahawks took the lead. A Fire shot was cleared off the line by the Keiser defender after it eluded the Seahawk goalkeeper.
Using the counterattack, Keiser was able to create some chances late. Alex Babiolakis sent a ball screaming off the crossbar in the 74
th minute.
Overall, the Fire ended their season with a 9-9 record, going 6-4 in Sun Conference play.
