Deland, Fla. - Stetson (1-0-0) opened the 2010 season with a dominant 10-0 victory over Johnson & Wales (0-2-0) Wednesday night in DeLand. It was the first time in the history of the two programs that they met on the field. Twenty-three of the 26 eligible Hatters saw time in the game with eight of them scoring at least one goal. The last time the Hatters scored 10 or more goals was in 1993 when they defeated Embry-Riddle 12-0.
Kai Eckenrode (Springfield, Va.) and Niels De Jonck (Antwerp, Belgium) each scored a pair of goals with Eckenrode adding an assist. Preseason A-Sun All-Conference Team selection Jonathan Mendoza (Altamonte Springs, Fla.) scored one goal and a delivered three assists. All three Stetson goalkeepers combined for the shutout. The Hatters' defense held the Wildcats to just one shot in the game.
"We were the better team tonight, and we should have been the better team tonight", said Stetson head coach T. Logan Fleck. "We played a team that is still trying to find themselves. I have a lot of respect for them. They fought very hard, played clean and never quit."
Mendoza opened the scoring just 4:20 into the game. Fredrik Brustad (Oslo, Norway) crossed the ball from the top right corner of the box to Gonzalo de Mujica (Weston, Fla.) who flicked a continuation pass to Mendoza who then tapped it in short left from 10 feet.
Just over two minutes later Eckenrode scored his first with a top shelf delivery off a cross from freshman Raffaele Centofanti (Miami Lakes, Fla.). In the 11th minute Giulio D'Amore (DeLand, Fla.) was sent in alone on a through ball by Joakim Helland (Bergen, Norway). Helland transferred to Stetson this season from St. John's University. Next it was D'Amore's turn to set up Helland in the 28th minute. Helland pick up a short pass and one-timed it into the right corner from 10 yards.
Stetson completed the first half scoring with a pair of goals coming off headers. In the 36th minute Mendoza blasted a long cross from 30 yards out on the right side that found Dan Sackman (Hampshire, England) who headed it top side just inside the right post. Less than a minute later Mendoza delivered another perfect cross to Helland who headed it to De Jonck who finished the play with a header from point blank.
De Jonck opened the second half scoring with his second of the game. Ryan Asare-Bediako (Tampa, Fla.) flicked a pass into the middle setting up a low 25-yard blast just inside the right post. Goal #8 came after Eckenrode chested the ball down and volleyed it into the middle to de Mujica who ripped a right footer from 20 yards.
Eckenrode was next with a running header off a through ball by Luis Ocejo (Mexico City, Mex.) and left footed cross by Mendoza. Freshman Evan Jimmo (Melbourne, Fla.) delivered the final tally at 70:00 when he tickled the twine after picking up his own rebound.
"We got a chance to play deep into our lineup so that was good. A game like this could be a negatively positive thing or a positively negative thing", said Fleck. "We were able to get some rhythm in our attack, but we were not pressed enough defensively. It is a Ying Yang thing, we got a little Ying, but we didn't get enough Yang. So we will work hard this week to prepare to play at a very high level at the Furman Tournament."
Stetson will now prepare for its next opponent the College of Charleston. The Hatters travel to Greenville, S.C. to play the Cougars, as well as Furman in the Furman Diadora/SPINX Tournament on September 10th and 12th.
