MELBOURNE, Fla.—The Barry Buccaneers dropped their final Sunshine State Conference men’s soccer game 2-1 to the Florida Tech Panthers at Rick Stottler Field on Saturday.
Barry (4-9-1, 1-6-1 SSC) jumped out in front in the eighth minute of the match, capitalizing on a sloppy Panthers turnover along the back line which a speedy Patrick Drmola was able to intercept. The Chelsea, England native picked up the first goal of his Buccaneer career, firing a strike past Panthers’ keeper Mitch Thorn to give Barry the 1-0 advantage.
The advantage was short-lived, however, as just eight minutes later Florida Tech answered with the equalizer. Antoine Aupiais found Ricky Menendez just outside of the 18-yard box, where he turned and slipped a shot past Fred Perez to even the match at 1-1.
The Panthers scored the winner in the 62nd minute after a Buccaneer defensive miscue. On a thrown in, Aupiais was left unmarked near the top of the box. He chested the ball down and ripped a shot into the back of the net.
The Bucs had a chance to tie the game in the 73rd minute. Drmola’s shot got past Thorn, but Will Henderson was there to knock it away.
The Bucs led 17-6 in shots, including 6-4 on goal. Thorn had four saves, while Perez made two for the Bucs.
Barry closes the regular season with a pair of SSC “+4” games next week, at Lynn on Wednesday and at home against Eckerd on Saturday.
Soccer Game Summary (Final)
2012 Barry University Soccer
Barry vs Florida Tech (10/20/12 at Melbourne, Fla.)
Barry (4-9-1, 1-6-1 SSC) vs. Florida Tech (8-3-3, 3-3-2 SSC)
Date: 10/20/12 Attendance: 159
Weather: Sunny, 82 degrees
Goals by period 1 2 Tot
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Barry................... 1 0 - 1
Florida Tech........ 1 1 - 2
SCORING SUMMARY:
1. 7:20 BUM Patrick Drmola (1) (unassisted) - off turnover, beat defender to ball, tap in left side
2. 15:40 FTM Ricky Menendez (3) (Antoine Aupiais;Yannis Pele) - shot low left side from just outside the box
3. 61:58 FTM Antoine Aupiais (4) (Robbie Russell) - off throw in, chested down and kicked in
Shots: Barry 17, Florida Tech 6
Saves: Barry 2 (Fred Perez 2), Florida Tech 5 (Mitch Thorn 4; TEAM 1)