DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – A goal from a set piece by junior
Alan Vezza was all the 24th-ranked Embry-Riddle men's soccer team needed to get past Lee in the Eagles' season opener on Saturday at the Embry-Riddle Soccer Stadium. Vezza's goal, the result of a corner kick, came in the second half and put the Eagles at 1-0 on the year, while the Flames close out their two-game Florida road trip at 1-1 overall.
Embry-Riddle had the better of the possession to start the game and had the two best scoring opportunities of the first half. In the fifth minute,
Sam Fairhurst combined with
Ally MacDonald on a give-and-go at the top of the 18-yard box that allowed MacDonald to lose his defender and take a shot on goal, but the Flames' goalkeeper Tom Halsall was up to the challenge and stopped MacDonald's attempt to keep the game scoreless.
Seven minutes later, Fairhurst was fouled at midfield and his quick free kick found
Veit Couturier who spun and completed a quick pass to
Nicklas Petersson whose shot sailed just above the cross bar.
The Flames found their rhythm in the latter part of the half, but they too were unable to convert of any of their chances resulting in a scoreless deadlock at the half.
Coming out of the break, the Eagles created several chances to score, out shooting the Flames 4-1 in the first 15 minutes. The Eagle chances included a
Viktor Gudnason header that was stopped by Halsall and a low shot by Couturier that went off the post.
In the 67th minute, a Lee defender played the ball back to Halsall who misplayed the ball and was just able to push it over the line before a charging Petersson could stick it in the back of the net. The uncharacteristic Halsall miscue led to back-to-back Eagle corner kicks, and on their second try the Eagles were finally able to get on the scoreboard as Fairhurst floated the ball into the box where Vezza volleyed it past Halsall for the game-winner.
The Eagles will go on the road for their next six games, starting with a 7 p.m. tilt against NCAA II No. 20 Rollins on Friday, Aug. 31.
