BABSON PARK, Fla. (October 30, 2019) – In a match that featured 45 combined shots, 23 combined shots on goal and 18 combined saves, the Webber International University men's soccer team prevailed 3-2 over Florida Memorial University on Wednesday afternoon on the Warrior Turf Field. The win gave the Warriors their ninth victory of the season, something Webber men's soccer had not accomplished since 2013

After back-to-back goals by Mateo Fernandez Sassoni both assisted on by Quam Salami in the 17th and 25th minutes, respectively, Webber went ahead 3-0 in the 38th minute on a goal by freshman Matt King from Bryan Mejia.

However, Florida Memorial countered quickly with a goal less than three minutes later to make it 3-1, and then less than eight minutes into the second half the Lions made it 3-2.

From there, the defenses tightened up a little bit on both sides as despite both teams firing at least 10 more shots the rest of the way, nobody was able to find the back of the net again as the Warriors held on to the narrow victory.

Out of the final 11 shots by FMU, three of them were saved by Fabricio Verdun, two were blocked and one was off the crossbar.

Webber's final 10 shots of the match, meanwhile, featured seven saves by the Lions' goalkeeper, Angel Garcia, as both keepers finished the match with nine saves.

In fact, it was a career-best nine saves for Verdun, who was making only his second start of the season but improved to 2-0 in those starts while making some really fantastic stops throughout the match.

For Fernandez Sassoni, it was the second two-goal match of his collegiate career and was his first this season, giving him four goals on the year so far as a sophomore with only one match left after scoring five goals as a freshman a year ago.

For Salami, the two assists were his first two helpers of the season while the match-winning goal by King was the first-career goal for the rookie from Nantwich, England.

Head Coach Neil Cockburn said, "The lads played well today, and I am proud of the bench for coming on strong and making a difference in the match as well."

With the win, the Warriors are now 9-6 overall on the season and are 3-5 in The Sun Conference as the Warriors reached the nine-win mark for the first time since 2013 and are now only one win away from the elusive 10-win season. If they do it, it would be the first time since 2006 and the first time under Coach Cockburn that Webber men's soccer has finished a season with at least 10 victories.

To accomplish the 10-win season, the Warriors will have to bring their "A" game into Senior Day, which is set for 3:30 p.m. on Saturday, November 2, on the Warrior Turf Field as Webber takes on the No. 14-ranked team in the NAIA, St. Thomas University. Only two teams in The Sun Conference have more wins than Webber this season, one of which is St. Thomas already over the 10-win mark.