By Asha Henfield, Contributing Writer
On a Wednesday October 4, when fall evening showers have been placed on a hold, the Saint Leo men’s soccer team took on the Florida Southern College Mocs at home. It is safe to say that this game was one that was exhilarating and left many other attendees on the edge of their seats. If you were there, you would for sure be able to relate. The game’s score ended in a tie, 1-1.
As the game commenced, midfielder Edoardo Degl’Innocenti came in by surprise when he delivered a successful free kick into the top corner of the net, only for the goal to be confiscated by the referee because of a prior foul play that was failed to be called earlier. That was quite the emotional roller.
Eventually, after continuous and resistant efforts, no team succeeded in victoriously scoring and taking the lead. The Lions put up and stood their ground as much as they could concerning their defense.
In the first half of the game, goalkeeper Ricardo Ceballos did a job well done, consistently producing marvelous goal saves against the Mocs. Goalkeepers these days are quite the underdogs but are extraordinary game-changers. However, the Mocs’ defense did outshine the Lions in terms of scoring attempts.
During halftime, spectators enjoyed the music and interactions as athletes from various disciplines at Saint Leo came out to support. This truly is the Lion’s way. Nonetheless, what happens a few minutes after halftime was a shock.
Ten minutes after halftime, as the Lions’ attackers were pushing through and attempting to get their first game-deciding goal, a defender of the Mocs helped when during a play by him, the ball ended up going into the Lions’ goal.
“That was so unexpected, seriously,” says Ashley Henfield, a sophomore studying business administration.
While Anna Jordan, a sophomore studying accounting said, “You had to be there to see it.”
Further into the game, an opportunity opened up for the Mocs to score a goal due to another foul play that was executed. This play would decide if the game would be placed into a tie situation.
Ceballos came back up to the plate, full force once again, blocking the penalty shooter from scoring.
With only a few minutes remaining, a power play was made when the Lions had been in controlthe entire match. Midfielder Dylan Lowther from Florida Southern came out of nowhere and got the ball in the back of the net. Saint Leo’s Ceballos could not stop it. And with that, the game ended, resulting in an inevitable tie.
