Big Win for Falcons in Season Opener

The Daytona State College men's soccer team opened the 2019 regular season with a big win.

The No. 17-ranked Falcons scored five times to defeat the No.19 Morton College Panthers 5-1 last Saturday night for the Falcons season opener.

Four different Falcons got on the scoreboard Saturday night. Freshman Dujon Martin was first to score when he converted a penalty kick 10 minutes into the match after being pulled down in the box.

Only one minute after Martin scored, Sophomore Pablo Leigh took a shot that deflected off the post and freshman Angel Limardo was there to put it in the back of the net. With the Falcons up 2-0 now, another freshman decided it was his turn. Now fourteen minutes into the match, Freshman Juan Esteban Carmona received a splitting pass from Sophomore Shandel Senior to beat the keeper and place the ball nicely into the back of the goal. The Falcons went into halftime with a 3-0 lead.

"It was a great way to start the first half," said Daytona State College head coach Bart Sasnett. "We definitely had more opportunities to score, but that will come with time and the guys are starting to get comfortable playing together."

Morton College would score 25 minutes into the second half to make the game now 3-1. The Falcons did not let that stop them as they scored two more times in the last 20 minutes of the match.

Sophomore Pablo Leigh made it 4-1 when he ran through the defense and slotted the ball past the keeper. Then with two minutes remaining in the match, freshman Dujon Martin scored again with an assist from Leigh.

"Overall it was a good result for us and a great win to start the season," said Sasnett. "It is always good when your freshman step up in games and show that they can play."

The Falcons outshot their opponent 31-2 and finished the night with 20 of those shots being on target.

The Falcons will hit the road this weekend for two big games in Milledgeville, Georgia. The men's soccer program will play No. 20 Louisburg College Sunday afternoon at 12 p.m., and then play No. 10 Georgia Military College on Monday at 12 p.m.