Tropics Get First Eastern Division Win
SYRACUSE, N.Y. (Nov. 26, 2016) – The Florida Tropics SC homecoming to the Lakeland Center next Saturday night will be ahappy one.
The first-year Major Arena Soccer League team, playing its second road game in as many nights and third in a week, got offense from some unexpected sources early on, and defeated the Syracuse Silver Knights 7-6 to even their season mark at 2-2.
Lucas Montelares, Victor Parreiras and Raphael Nascimento all scored their first goals of the season to stake the Tropics to a 3-2 lead in the second quarter, but Florida was not done. Lucas Texeira made it 4-2 with 28 seconds to play before the half, and Parreiras went top corner for his second of the night, this one with just with nine seconds left in the period, to send the Tropics to intermission with a 5-2 advantage.
Syracuse closed to within two goals twice in the second half, but a penalty shot goal by captain Freddy Moojen and Jowayne Laidley's second of the season, which proved to be the game winner, kept the Tropics lead at three for much of the second half.
Two late Syracuse goals, including one with an extra attacker with 1:52 to play brought the hosts to within one, but Florida was able to run out the clock. Syracuse, an eastern divisional foe, drops to 1-1 on the year.
The Tropics outshot Syracuse, 23-21, as both Florida goaltender Piotr Sliwa and Silver Knights keeper Andrew Coughlin repeatedly made big saves. The Tropics defense also was stout, coming up with a season-high eight blocks.