LAKE WALES, Fla. ? Freshman Elina Johansson continued to climb the Eagles' all-time charts as she scored four goals in Embry-Riddle's 5-0 conference win over Warner Southern on Tuesday. The victory moves the Eagles into third place in the Florida Sun Conference at 2-1 (4-6 overall), while the Royals fall to 4-6 overall and 0-3 in league play.
ERAU dominated the offense from the first whistle, outshooting the Royals 11-1 in the first half and 27-8 in the match.
“It was nice to see some success on the offensive end of the field after feeling like we were a bit unfortunate in the last game or two” head coach Samantha Baggett said following the match. “Elina had some good finishes, but several teammates worked hard to create those opportunities. I was also really pleased with the work rate of Val and Chloe up top in the second half. A credit goes to our defense and Steph Taylor for earning the shutout as well. Warner was an organized team and kept battling until the last minute. It's a good result heading into our game vs. Thomas at home on Friday.”
Johansson's first goal came in the 11th minute when she rocketed a shot from 25 yards out into the upper left corner for a 1-0 Eagle lead.
The second goal came with 13 minutes remaining in the first half. Chloe Cowart received the ball with her back to the goal at the top of the 18-yard box and laid it back to Johansson who rifled her second goal of the match past Warner Southern goalkeeper Cyndee Casen.
After receiving another pass from Cowart, Johansson dribbled around three Royal defenders and drilled home her third goal of the match in the 54th minute.
In the 65th minute, Johansson earned a free kick after being brought down five yards outside the penalty box. She took the ensuing free kick and lifted a shot over the six-man Warner Southern wall and into the upper right corner to make the score 4-0.
Val Rogers got her name on the score sheet with 17 minutes left on the clock after picking up a loose ball off a Kristen Phelps cross.
Senior Stephanie Taylor notched her first shutout of the season with three saves on the night, while Casen and Julia Valentine split time in the Warner Southern nets with seven and two saves, respectively.
The Eagles return to the Embry-Riddle Soccer Complex at 5 p.m. on Friday when they host Thomas (Ga.) at 5 p.m.
