DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. ? The Embry-Riddle men's soccer team shut-out SCAD 2-0 on Saturday in their final conference game of the regular season. The Eagles finish with a 5-4-1 conference record, while SCAD falls to 2-7-1 in league play.
Embry-Riddle had the better of the possession and the scoring opportunities in the first half. In just the fifth minute of the game, AJ Barrett sent a short corner kick to Ryan Woods, who fired a shot to the far post, but SCAD goalkeeper Robbie Wright was able to control the ball and send it back into play. A few minutes later, Woodsy hit another hard shot to the far post, but Wright dove and again, got his hands on the ball to keep Embry-Riddle off the scoreboard.
The Eagles best opportunity came in the 30th minute when Joe Yoffe tried to chip the ball over Wright, who had come off his line, but the shot hit the crossbar and bounced back, and unfortunately, no one was around to convert the rebound.
The Eagles defensive line played very sharp, holding SCAD to only four shots in the first period. The Bees had two close headers from Ellert Hreinsson and Karl Solstrom, but both shots fell wide right of the net.
Despite the Eagles pressure inside the Bees' box, the Blue and Gold could not find the back of the net, resulting in a scoreless tie at the half.
Embry-Riddle played aggressive at the start of the second period, eager to get on the scoreboard. After a series of great passes inside the Bees' box, Yoffe was taken down on his way to the goal, resulting in a penalty kick for the Eagles. Yoffe lined up for the shot and buried the ball in the back of the net.
It looked as though the Eagles would increase their lead in the 68th minute after Yoffe made a nifty touch to elude his defender and then sent a strong cross to AJ Barrett. Barrett got a touch on the ball, but Wright was there to scoop it up before it crossed over the goal line.
The Eagles netted their second goal in the 79th minute off the foot of Sam Litchfield. The play started when JL Wilson sent a ball forward to Yoffe, who then passed it inside to Litchfield. Litch was able to easily possess the ball and fire a shot to the bottom corner to give the Eagles a 2-0 lead.
With three minutes remaining in the contest, the Bees were given two close opportunities to score. The first was off a free kick from Dan Fadida that hit the far post, followed by a header from Karl Solstrom that was saved by Eagles' goalkeeper Viktor Bergstrand.
Embry-RIddle will play their final home game of the season on Wednesday at 7 p.m. versus Flagler. Following that contest, the Blue and Gold will travel to Lake Wales to face Warner Southern in The Sun Conference semifinals.
