Stetson Breezes by Liberty Men’s Soccer in Quarterfinals

ASUN tournament play was not kind for the No. 5 Liberty Flames men’s soccer team as it saw its season come to an end with a crushing 3-0 loss Nov. 5 to the No. 4 Stetson Hatters. 

The game started out slow as both teams were efficient on defense while the offense was also able to spread the ball around. 

Disaster soon struck for the Flames, however, when goalkeeper Danny Cordero made a blunder in the 20th minute of the game. Cordero did not get enough on a pass, allowing ASUN Freshman of the Year Nelson Pereira to intercept the ball and drive around a flailing Cordero to get his shot off. Flames defender Brayden Borutskie was in the goal but was unable to reach it before it flew into the left side of the net. 

The rest of the first half was full of failed attacks for the Flames, and this desperation kept up in the second half. Liberty’s eagerness to score resulted in a string of sloppy passes that eventually led to disaster. Stetson midfielder Alessandro Gabbani picked off a pass before feeding it to Oliver Brynesus, who blasted through the Flames defense and fired his shot past Cordero to double the Hatters’ lead. 

With the Flames down 2-0, the team began to play even more aggressively, trying to get themselves back into the game. A set piece looked like the perfect chance for the Flames to get one back, but the corner kick was quickly possessed by Stetson sophomore midfielder Ajmeer Spangler. Spangler then sprinted the entire length of the field, faking out the goalkeeper before rounding it past him to score the third Stetson goal of the night. 

A deflated Liberty team left the field eliminated from the conference tournament. The Flames finish the 2021 season with a 7-9 record (3-4 in conference play). Stetson advanced to face No. 1 Lipscomb and lost 4-0.

Hisaw is a sports reporter. Follow him on Twitter.

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