WEST PALM BEACH, Fla.- The Palm Beach Atlantic men's soccer team defeated Eckerd 3-0 on Saturday at Rinker Athletic Campus. The Sailfish scored twice in the first half and added one goal in the second while holding Eckerd scoreless. The Sailfish finished with a 16-11 shot advantage, put eight shots on goal and got three saves in the shutout.
The Sailfish broke through midway through the first half, with
Kobi Thomas scoring at 23:23 before
Robi Lukau finished a
Simon Buechte assist at 25:55 to make it 2-0. Earlier, the Sailfish generated chances through Thomas,
Dominic Breidenbach and Lukau, including a Thomas shot saved by Duran van Woerkom in the seventh minute. After the second goal, the match turned more physical, with five fouls and an Eckerd yellow card between 27:30 and 33:03, but the Sailfish also kept pressing with shots from Thomas and
Niklas Mahler in that stretch.
Flavio Giannini made a save on Aaron Ristorcelli in the 45th minute, helping the Sailfish take a 2-0 advantage into halftime.
Thomas scored in the 75th minute off an assist from
Livio von Holzen, extending the Sailfish lead to 3-0. Earlier, the Sailfish built pressure with a corner at 53:11, a Thomas shot saved by Duran van Woerkom at 57:35, a Breidenbach attempt wide and another corner before Lukau added a shot and the Sailfish earned a second corner in the 65th minute. Giannini answered Eckerd's chances with saves on Sebastian Schmalbach at 57:35 and Marcio Costa at 89:50, while the Sailfish continued to create late looks through
Yassir Smlali,
Marcel Duffau and
Fritz Burger around two corners in the final three minutes. The Sailfish outscored Eckerd 1-0 in the second half and finished off a 3-0 win.
Thomas scored twice, including the game-winning goal, and led the Sailfish with six shots and five on goal. Lukau added a goal on four shots, putting two on frame. Giannini played all 90 minutes in goal and recorded three saves in a shutout.
The Sailfish return to the pitch on Wednesday for their final match of the regular season against Embry-Riddle. Kickoff is set for 6 p.m. at the Rinker Athletic Campus.Â
