WEST PALM BEACH, Fla.- The Ave Maria University men's soccer team completed the regular season on Wednesday afternoon, suffering a 4-0 defeat at the hands of the Keiser University Seahawks in West Palm Beach. Keiser finished the regular season with an undefeated 12-0 record, while the Gyrenes will enter The Sun Conference Tournament as the number six seed.
More than 35 minutes passed before Keiser broke the ice with the first goal of the day. In the 36th minute, Lucas Jacobs beat four AMU defenders, then went to the near post for his sixth goal of the season. Jacobs' goal gave the Seahawks a 1-0 lead, which would last for the remainder of the first half. The 1-0 Seahawk lead came despite 16 first half shots from the hosts, of which six were turned away by Gyrene goalkeeper Carlos Contreras.
Keiser pulled away from the Gyrenes in the second half, scoring three goals to account for the 4-0 final score. The first tally came in the 48th minute, when a cross from Jack Casey and an additional pass from Jacobs led to a goal from Sebastian Espino, his second of the season. Fabricio Solano Gonzalez scored the third goal on an assist from Julius Fassbinder, finding the back of the net on a follow-up. Edward Burgos Gonzalez scored the final goal of the match on a header following a cross from Bruno Silva Moreira.
The undefeated Seahawks controlled the action on Wednesday, outshooting the Gyrenes 37-3. 21 of those shots came in the second half, leading to KU's three goal output. Keiser also held a 14-2 advantage in shots on goal, and had eleven opportunities on corner kicks to just one for Ave Maria.Â
John Gokey provided two of Ave Maria's three shots, including one shot on goal. Cedric Georges added the other opportunity for the Gyrenes. Contreras made six saves in the opening 45 minutes for AMU, while Rhys Lawlor came on in the second half and made three saves. Four Seahawks had five shot attempts in the victory, and Felipe Godoy made two saves en route to a shutout.
Ave Maria will enter The Sun Conference Tournament as the number six seed, and will take on third-seeded Southeastern in the quarterfinals. Southeastern won the first meeting between the teams, 2-0, on October 3, and earned a 2-1 win on October 31 at Gyrene. Kickoff in Lakeland is scheduled for 7:00 p.m., with the winner moving on to face St. Thomas in the semifinals.
