St. Thomas University defeated Southeastern University 2-1 in a Sun Conference men’s soccer match Wednesday at AutoNation Field in Miami Gardens, Florida. The teams were scoreless at halftime before Julien Laborde gave St. Thomas the lead in the 53rd minute. Adam Cooil equalized for Southeastern in the 69th minute, but Ellef Herstad scored the winning goal in the 77th minute.
The loss moved Southeastern to 9-3-3 overall and 3-2-2 in conference play. St. Thomas improved to 9-3-3 overall and 5-0-3 in The Sun Conference. Southeastern finished with five shots on goal, while St. Thomas recorded nine.
St. Thomas creates early pressure
Noah Murray-Hawkins made seven saves for Southeastern, including six in the first half. St. Thomas outshot Southeastern 13-7 during the opening period, but neither team scored before halftime. Murray-Hawkins kept the match level through the first 45 minutes.
Second-half goals decide the match
Laborde opened the scoring for St. Thomas in the 53rd minute on an assist from Manuel Dominguez. The goal was Laborde’s sixth of the season and put St. Thomas ahead 1-0. Southeastern responded when Cooil scored his first goal of the season in the 69th minute on an assist from Miguel Londono.
Herstad restored St. Thomas’ lead in the 77th minute with an assist from Okan Erkocu. The goal proved decisive as Southeastern could not find another equalizer. The result gave St. Thomas its 5-0-3 conference record while Southeastern dropped to 3-2-2 in league play.
What comes next for Southeastern
Southeastern is scheduled to play at SCAD on Oct. 31 at noon. The Sun Conference Tournament is scheduled for Nov. 4, with the time to be announced. The NAIA First & Second Round is scheduled for Nov. 19, also with the time to be announced.
FSB Take
Southeastern recovered from St. Thomas’ first-half pressure and answered Laborde’s goal with Cooil’s first score of the season. Murray-Hawkins’ seven saves helped keep the match within reach after St. Thomas produced 13 first-half shots. Southeastern now turns to its match at SCAD before the scheduled conference tournament.
Source: Original report