BABSON PARK, Fla. – The Embry-Riddle men's soccer team used a three goal first half to beat the Warriors of Webber International, 5-1 on Sunday afternoon in Babson Park, Fla. With the win the Eagles improve to 4-7-1 overall and 4-2-1 in Sun Conference play. The loss drops Webber International to 4-7-1 on the season, 1-5-1 in conference play.

After a slow start to the first half, the Eagles finally broke through in the 17^th minute as Veit Couturier netted his 11^th goal of the season. The play started with a Sam Fairhurst free kick. Fairhurst gave a quick touch to Erik Norburg who ran onto the ball and dribbled down the left side before sending a bender into the box. The Warrior defense failed to clear the ball and the and it fell to Couturier who blasted a shot past WIU netminder Matthew Brust, for a 1-0 lead.

After thwarting a couple Warrior scoring chances, the Eagles stretched their lead playing possession, controlling the ball down the field into the penalty box. After several soft passes, Fairhurst made a quick touch to Nicklas Petersson who shot across the goal and found the lower right corner of the net, giving the Blue and Gold a lead they would not relinquish.

The Warriors would not go without a fight though, scoring 35 seconds after the Eagles as Michael Dowson fired a shot from 25 yards out, past Nils Carlson to cut the Embry-Riddle lead in half, 2-1.

Not to be outdone, the Eagles again possessed the ball though the midfield and Couturier used a one-touch pass to Fairhurst who had an opening and buried a 25-yard shot in the upper left corner, extending the lead to 3-1 heading into the half.

Less than five minutes into the half, the Eagles scored on their first shot of the period as Alan Vezza's cross found Fairhurst's feet at the top of the box. Fairhurst settled the ball and fired a shot past the Warrior goalkeeper for a 4-1 advantage.

Couturier delivered the exclamation point with 20 minutes to play. After latching onto an errant pass, the sophomore netted his second goal of the game from 20 yards out, to add to the Embry-Riddle tally for a 5-1 final.
 
Carlson finished with three saves on the day, while Brust, who left the game in the second half, collected six saves and Stout finished with one. The Eagles outshot the Warriors 26-11, including a 12-4 edge in shots on goal.

The Eagles return to the pitch on Wednesday, Oct. 17, as the men host SCAD Savannah for a 7 p.m. kickoff at the Embry-Riddle Soccer Stadium.