WEST PALM BEACH, Fla.- Fueled by a second half hat trick from
Kobi Thomas, Palm Beach Atlantic defeated Tampa 4-2 on Wednesday in SSC action. The 'Fish scored all four of their goals in the second half and finished with 16 shots, including seven on goal, while Flavio Gianini made seven saves.
PBA held through an early Tampa push that included two corner kicks and two shots between 3:30 and 8:39, but William Waters scored at 9:10 to put Tampa ahead 1-0.
Flavio Giannini added a save on Julian Tovar in the 16th minute, and the 'Fish began creating chances of their own, with
Dominic Breidenbach missing right before
Ole Lichter recorded a shot at 18:29. The home side kept pressing through a physical stretch, as
Robi Lukau and
Ugo Drieu each forced saves from Alex Hare around a Sailfish corner. The 'Fish added another Lukau shot in the 36th minute and a late
Fritz Burger attempt followed by a corner, but the half ended with Tampa ahead 1-0.
Tampa pushed the margin to 2-0 in the 62nd minute, but
Kobi Thomas answered less than a minute later off a Lichter through ball.
Ole Lichter later tied the match in the 66th minute with a free kick rocket off the right post that found the back of the net. Thomas then converted a penalty kick in the 69th minute to put the 'Fish in front, while Giannini helped protect the 3-2 lead with saves during Tampa's pressure between the 71st and 82nd minutes.Â
Thomas completed the second-half surge and the hat trick in the 85th minute, finishing a
Livio von Holzen assist for the Sailfish's fourth goal before the side saw out the final minutes.
The Sailfish return to the field on Saturday when they head to Lakeland for a matchup with the league leading, ninth ranked Florida Southern. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m.
