Men's Soccer | 10/24/2017 11:30:00 AM
LAKELAND, Fla.—The Fire will face a plethora of competition over the course of the next week, as they look to lock up a high seed in the Sun Conference Tournament.
During the busy week, Southeastern will take on conference opponents Thomas and Ave Maria, as well as NCCAA opponent, Trinity Baptist.
After starting the season by dropping four of their first five competitions, Southeastern has won five of their last six matches to propel themselves into a postseason position. The Fire are currently tied with Johnson & Wales for second spot in the Sun Conference heading into the last week of the regular season.
In their last match, a 5-3 victory over Florida Memorial,
Gustavo Rodrigues took sole possession of the conference lead in assists with two helpers on the day. Rodrigues found the back of the net to add to his four point performance.
Goalkeeper
Jorge Navarrete saved six shots, one block shy of his career high, in the game against the Lions and was instrumental in the crucial triumph.
Thomas
On Wednesday, the Fire will battle Thomas University, who currently sits at 5-7-2 (3-2-2 TSC). Traditionally a good program, the Night Hawks are in jeopardy of having their first losing season since 2009 and will need to be victorious in their last two matches to avoid a sub-.500 season.
Leo Thompson leads Thomas in nearly every offensive statistical category including goals (9), assists (6), shots (57), and shots on goal (27). The sophomore midfielder ranks 23
rd in the country in shot attempts per game, averaging just over four per contest. In the Night Hawks' most recent competition, Thompson scored the late equalizer in a 1-1 draw with Johnson & Wales.
Trinity Baptist
Following the contest with Thomas, seniors will be honored in the last regular season home game against Trinity Baptist on Thursday night.
The Eagles come into the matchup with a 5-7-1 record, after being defeated in two of their last three games. In their 13 competitions this season, Trinity Baptist has scored 21 goals on their 173 shots, averaging 1.62 goals per game.
Ave Maria
In the regular season finale, the Fire will travel to Ave Maria clash with the Gyrenes. At 3-9-3 (1-3-2 TSC), the Gyrenes are coming off a disappointing overtime loss to SCAD-Savannah. In the contest, Juan Carlos Bucaram found the back of the net twice, while leading scorer, Kensley Jean Baptiste added a goal and an assist. Jean Baptiste provides efficient offense for the Gyrenes, as he has scored on eight of his 19 shots this season.
Andrea Salomone will be a key component in the match if Ave Maria is successful against the Fire. The goalkeeper ranks 22
nd in the NAIA in saves per game with 6.15 per competition, while ranking 28
th in the country in total saves (80).
The match against Thomas is scheduled for 5 p.m., while kickoff versus Trinity Baptist will be at 7:30 p.m. The game at Ave Maria will kick off at 1 p.m.
