LAKELAND, Fla. – Southeastern men's soccer punched its ticket to the Sun Conference Tournament semifinals Wednesday night, defeating New College of Florida 6-2 in the quarterfinals at SEU Soccer Field.
The Fire (10-3-4) wasted little time getting on the scoreboard, as
Koren Klein opened the scoring in the fifth minute with an assist from
Pablo Lobon. Klein struck again in the 15th minute, this time finishing a pass from goalkeeper
Noah Murray-Hawkins to give SEU an early 2-0 advantage.
New College of Florida (4-5-7) responded in the 31st minute when Cameron Johnson converted a penalty kick to cut the deficit to one. The visitors continued to build momentum, finding the equalizer in the 39th minute as Micah Nelson scored off an assist from Juan Palomino.
The two teams entered halftime tied at 2-2, but SEU came out of the break with renewed offensive pressure.
In the 63rd minute, Lobon put the Fire back in front, finishing a pass from
Miguel Londono to make it 3-2. Just two minutes later, João Rubens extended the advantage to 4-2, converting a combination play from
Ricardo Agote Perez and Londono.
SEU continued to control the attack throughout the second half, outshooting New College of Florida 12-5 after the break.
The Fire added two more goals in the closing minutes, both from the penalty spot. Lobon converted in the 86th minute to record his second goal of the night before
Owen Nelson scored his first goal of the season in the 87th minute to cap the scoring at 6-2.
Klein and Lobon led the Fire with two goals apiece, while Rubens and Nelson each added a goal. Londono contributed two assists, while Murray-Hawkins and Agote Perez each recorded an assist.
SEU finished the night with a 17-11 advantage in shots and seven shots on goal. The Fire also recorded three corner kicks while limiting New College of Florida to five.
With the quarterfinal victory, SEU advances to the Sun Conference Tournament semifinals, where the Fire will face Keiser University as they continue their pursuit of a conference championship.
