DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. ? The 11th-ranked Embry-Riddle men's soccer team opened its 2007 Florida Sun Conference season with a 4-3 win over No. 5 Webber International on Saturday. Junior Joe Yoffe contributed to all four Eagle goals, finishing the night with two goals and two assists as the Eagles move to 1-1 overall and 1-0 in the FSC, while the Warriors drop to 0-2 and 0-1 in league play.
The Eagles were the dominant team for much of the match, ousthooting the Warriors 32-8. WIU's Tony Restino kept the score close with 15 saves on the night, but the Warriors were helped by the woodwork as two Eagle attempts from close range went off the posts.
At the 25:49 mark, Yoffe played the ball into Sam Litchfied at the top of the 18-yard box. Litchfield's quick turn allowed him to get away from his defender and he took advantage of his wide open shot on goal, burying his first goal of the season in the lower right corner.
The Eagles' second goal game just three minutes later when Litchfield returned the favor, playing a ball to Yoffe's feet in the box. Restino got a touch on Yoffe's initial shot, preventing the ball from going into the net, but the loose ball fell right to an umarked AJ Barrett who easily passed the ball into the net to put the Blue and Gold up 2-0.
The Warriors got a goal back in the 34th minute when Adam Bates' cross found Ryan Maloney who drilled a side volley past Viktor Bergstrand for his first goal of the season.
Litchfield and Yoffe combined again for the Eagles' third goal of the half. Barrett played the ball over the top to Litchfield who settled it perfectly with his first touch and then played a square ball to a wide open Yoffe in the box. Yoffe's left-footed shot beat Restino to make the score 3-1 heading into the half time break.
WIU had a much stronger start to the second half and their hard work paid off as Nick Weightman took advantage of a defensive lapse by the Eagles and pulled the Warriors within a goal just eight minutes in.
Less than three minutes later, Barrett chased a ball down and got it to Peter Masters on the left side. Masters' cross found Yoffe right in front of the net and Yoffe's sixth shot of the night put the Eagles up 4-2.
Weightman scored again in the 58th minute to pull the Warriors back to within a goal, but as was the case in the first half, the majority of the second-half offense belonged to the Eagles who put up 18 shots to WIU's five in that frame.
Embry-Riddle takes its first road trip of the year on Tuesday when the travel to St. Augustine to take on Flagler. Game time is scheduled for 7 p.m.
