Men’s soccer team loses close match against Lander

By Jeremy Petty | gargoyle@flagler.edu

The Flagler College men’s soccer team suffered a tough, 2-1 loss Saturday night when they played Lander.

The game began with a promising start as Flagler had a couple of early chances that would have given them a two-goal lead. In the first few minutes, Pol Berenguer played a ball from mid-field to Zach Shanahan who beat a lone defender with a great move to the outside. Unfortunately, the shot was pushed just wide of the right side of the net, missing by a small distance.

Shanahan was able to capitalize shortly after this attempt with the game’s first goal. Shanahan received a pass from the backfield and had a breakaway from half-field. He used his speed and misdirection to beat two Lander defenders on his own. Shanahan pushed the ball into the top of the 18 and slid his shot underneath the diving goalie.

Flagler’s celebration was cut short when Lander scored less than one minute later. Flagler’s keeper was unable to control the rebound from a shot taken on the left side of the field. Lander followed up the rebound with a pointe-blank shot that ended up in the back of the net. Lander scored their second goal with 12:01 left in the first half when they had a breakaway chance that ended up being the deciding goal.

The game turned very physical in the second half as both teams stepped up the intensity. A lot of fouls were called and play started to get cheap. This caused stoppage in play several times as players had to be tended to on the field after rough collisions. There were also several occasions where players from both teams cramped up on the field.

The Saints fought valiantly towards the end of the game. They had several opportunities to tie the game late, but were unsuccessful. Although the game ended in a Flagler defeat, there were plenty of good things to take away from it, which will be an advantage when used against other opponents.

The Saints next game is Tuesday, Oct. 4th, at 7 p.m. against Lynn University and their current record is 5-3-1.