ST. AUGUSTINE, Fla. - The NAIA No. 14 Embry-Riddle Eagles spoiled NCAA II Flagler's senior night on Friday evening, posting a 4-0 shutout of the Saints on the road in St. Augustine. The match marked the final regular season game for both squads. The Eagles wrap up their 2013 regular season slate with a 12-2 overall mark, getting back on the winning track after losing their first game in over a month last Saturday. The Saints fall to 8-5-3 overall.
The Eagles and Saints played an even first 15 minutes, despite a
Veit Couturier header that glanced off the crossbar in the 10th minute that would have put Embry-Riddle on top early on.
Ally MacDonald had a pair of chances in the 13th and 14th minutes, but the Eagle senior was denied and the game remained deadlocked at 0-0.
A defensive miscue by the Flagler defense in the 18th minute led to the Blue and Gold's first goal. A ball was played by ERAU towards the Flagler goal, but a Saints' defender failed to clear the ball properly and freshman
Sigurbergur Elisson was there to pounce on the loose ball, take a couple dribbles and beat Josiah Holtz in goal for his 11th score of the year.
The Saints, who recorded 15 corners in the contest, had a fantastic opportunity to score at the 33:15 mark, but a save by
Nils Carlson on Liam O'Brien's point-blank shot kept the visitors in control.
Nicklas Petersson was the recipient of an Elisson pass in the 38th minute, and the Gothenburg, Sweden native's shot was deflected into the net as Embry-Riddle took a 2-0 lead into halftime.
The second half wasn't much different than the first for the Eagles as they controlled most of the possession, and just 10 minutes into the second period the Blue and Gold took a commanding 3-0 advantange thanks to a Couturier goal. MacDonald started the play on the left side of the pitch, playing a pass over the box to Petersson who one touched the ball to Couturier in the middle of FC's penalty area and the junior forward did the rest, recording his eighth goal of 2013.
Embry-Riddle wrapped up the scoring in the 60th minute of action when Elisson headed in a rebound after Couturier's 35-yard shot hit the crossbar, making it a pair of goals for the freshman on the night and 12 for the season.
Carlson made three saves in net for the Blue and Gold to record his seventh clean sheet of the year, the 19th of his career.
Petersson moved into second on the single season assist list with his 18th of the year, needing just one to join
Paul Buckley (2003) at the top. He also broke into the top 10 in single season points with 38.
The Eagles will rest for a week before hosting a first round game in The Sun Conference Tournament on Nov. 9. Their opponent will either be Warner or Florida Memorial, while game time has yet to be determined.
