AUBURNDALE, Fla. — Florida Polytechnic University men's soccer battled St. Thomas University to a 1-1 draw through the opening 45 minutes Wednesday night before the Bobcats pulled away in the second half for a 6-1 victory. The loss moved Florida Poly to 4-3-0 on the season, while St. Thomas improved to 3-3-0.
St. Thomas generated several early chances, but Florida Poly goalkeeper Andres Villegas kept the visitors off the scoreboard. Villegas recorded saves on attempts from Thiago Patto and Julien Laborde before the Phoenix created an opportunity of their own. After Tarquin Adams had an attempt blocked in the 20th minute, Florida Poly earned a penalty kick, and Adams converted from the spot at the 22:50 mark to give the Phoenix a 1-0 advantage.
The lead lasted just over a minute. St. Thomas answered in the 25th minute when Luca Heusser finished a chance set up by Julien Laborde to level the match at 1-1. Florida Poly nearly responded moments later when Johnathan Brangman put an attempt on target, but St. Thomas goalkeeper Matias Fuentes made the save. Villegas continued to withstand pressure at the other end, making five first-half saves as the teams entered halftime deadlocked.
The momentum shifted quickly after the break. St. Thomas earned a penalty kick less than three minutes into the second half, and Thiago Patto converted in the 48th minute to put the Bobcats ahead 2-1. Just 71 seconds later, Patto assisted Julien Laborde to extend the advantage to 3-1. Patto struck again in the 55th minute, giving St. Thomas a three-goal cushion and completing a stretch of three goals in just over seven minutes.
Florida Poly turned to Porter Malloy in goal following the fourth St. Thomas goal. Malloy immediately made a save on Albert Feixas, but the Bobcats continued to apply pressure. Manuel Dominguez scored off an Okan Erkocu assist in the 65th minute before Bautista Suarez Basalo added another goal 88 seconds later to make it 6-1. Florida Poly continued rotating players into the match and produced one final attempt in the 83rd minute when Antoine Hope sent a shot wide.
Florida Poly finished with four shots, putting two on goal, while St. Thomas recorded 20 attempts and 13 shots on target. Adams led the Phoenix attack with two shots and Florida Poly's lone goal, while Brangman registered the team's other shot on goal. Villegas finished with six saves in 54:31 of action, while Malloy made one save over the final 35:29. St. Thomas also held a 7-0 advantage in corner kicks, with Florida Poly committing 11 fouls compared to 12 for the Bobcats.
