WINTER PARK, Fla. (October 14, 2023) - Rollins suffered their first home loss of the season at the hands of the Barry Buccaneers on Saturday night. The loss drops Rollins to 5-2-3 and 3-2-1 in the SSC. Barry remains atop the SSC standings at 6-1 in conference play and 6-4-1 overall.
Barry put the pressure on early, controlling possession and taking every shot of the first 27 minutes. Thankfully, each one was off target.
Rollins had a prime opportunity in the 28th minute when
Patrick Horan had a breakaway, but his shot was deflected late by a defender. That led to a corner kick and a monster rip from
Jari Polm at the top of the box that hit the top of the woodwork missing by mere inches.
Barry had the next opportunity in the 34th minute with two attempts inside the box, but one was saved by
Max Walker, and the second went over the top of the net. Each goalie added another save before halftime, keeping the match at 0-0.
Just three minutes into the second half, Horan once again found himself on a breakaway, but he was tackled from behind inside the box, leading to a penalty kick. Polm was selected for the opportunity, but his shot to the lower left was saved spectacularly by a diving Rafael Furlani.
Fast forward to the 63rd minute when Oier Calvillo lined up for a corner kick. His strike had a perfect flight, finding the head of Iker Berruezo for the first and only goal of the game.
The last true chance for Rollins came with 24 minute to go when
Jorge Lameiras ripped a rocket from just outside the box. Furlani was able to get his right hand on the ball and push it off line.
Rollins came into the day leaidng the SSC in goals per game, ranking 7th in the country at 3.0 per game. This is the second straight match they have been shut out.
Next up for the Tars is a road match at Nova Southeastern. Kickoff is scheduled for 6:00 pm on Wednesday, October 18.
