SAINT LEO, Fla. – Sophomore forward Arielle Kabangu scored a pair of goals to lead the 23rd-ranked Saint Leo University women's soccer team to a 3-1 victory over Eckerd College, in a Sunshine State Conference matchup Wednesday night at University Field.
Saint Leo improved to 9-3-0 overall with the win, 4-1-0 in the SSC. The Lions picked up three points with the league victory, and pulled into a three-way tie for first place in the SSC standings with 12 points.
Eckerd dropped to 7-4-0 overall, and took its first conference loss of the season to fall to 3-1-0 in the SSC.
Kabangu added to Saint Leo's 1-0 lead in the 53rd minute with the first of her two goals. Sophomore Saffron Jordan placed a through ball to the top of the 18-yard box for Kabangu, who carried it in and let loose a shot from just outside the six-yard box. Kabangu's well-placed shot found the lower left corner of the Eckerd goal, giving the Lions the 2-0 lead.
Kabangu added her second of the night and extended the Lions' lead to 3-0 when she beat Eckerd keeper Morgan Crescent one-on-one in the 71st minute. Carrying the ball across the 18-yard box, Kabangu lured Crescent into moving to her right across the goal, then turned and put a shot to Crescent's left into the wide open side.
The two goals against Eckerd gives Kabangu 31 for her career, making her the fifth player in program history to surpass the 30-career goal mark in Green and Gold.
The Tritons broke Saint Leo's shutout bid in the final minute of play. From just inside the corner of the 18-yard box, Hannah Peterson lofted a shot over the head of both a Lion defender and reserve keeper Abby Evans, giving Eckerd its only score of the night with just 36 seconds remaining.
Freshman Victoria Covas put Saint Leo on the board in the 39th minute with the only goal of the opening half. Genevieve Gignac's cross from the sideline beyond the 18-yard box found an oncoming Covas by the far post. Covas one-timed the ball past Crescent, giving the Lions a 1-0 lead that held up through the remainder of the half.
Saint Leo outshot Eckerd 13-3 in the opening frame, and finished the game with a 19-7 advantage in total shots. Junior goalkeeper Laura Carstens got the start for the Lions, and recorded one save over 76 minutes played. Evans came on for the final 14 minutes and also charted one save. Crescent finished the night with eight stops for the Tritons.
Each team recorded a pair of corner kicks, and Eckerd was whistled offside on three occasions.
Saint Leo closes out the home portion of its 2014 regular season slate on Saturday, Oct. 18, when it hosts seventh-ranked Barry at 4:30 p.m. on University Field.
For the latest news, updates, and information on the Saint Leo women's soccer team, visit SaintLeoLions.com. Fans can also stay up-to-date on the latest Lions news by following Saint Leo Athletics on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube.
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