It's Will Eyang's world and we're all just living in it; Trops top Winter Haven 4-0

AUBURNDALE -- With a number of regulars out of the line up -- including the Florida Tropics Major Arena Soccer League stars who are preparing for their first ever appearance in the post-season -- William Eyang came through in a big way Saturday night for the Trops outdoor United Premier Soccer League team.

Eyang banged home four goals -- he now has eight in just three games so far this season -- to lead the Tropics for a 4-0 win over local rival Winter Haven United in a matchup enjoyed by several hundred fans at Lake Myrtle Sports Complex.

Eyang opened the assault with a pretty goal in first-half stoppage time. After a nice defensive play by Javier Martinex, midefielder Melvin Boateng made a strong run through the midfield before Eyang found the ball on his foot near the top of the box. He made no mistake in drilling a perfect shot to the top left corner of the net to give the Tropics a 1-0 halftime lead.

His three goals in the second half put the game comfortably out of reach, helping Florida improve to 2-1 on the season. His four goals is a Tropics team record for most goals in a game in outdoor play. Winter Haven fell to 0-2. Jorge Navarette picked up the shutout in goal. 

"Will was the star, but everyone really stepped up tonight," Coach J. P. Reyes said. "Defensively, it was a strong effort overall, and we created a number of good chances even beyond Will's goals. It was a nice bounceback from our loss a weekend ago, and the kind of effort that our organization expects every time out."

Eyang had a hat trick in the Tropics season opening win on March 13, and was the team's only goal scorer in a 3-1 defeat at Florida Premier FC last Saturday.

"We needed our star players to be our star players tonight, and they were," Reyes added. "Will is so strong and talented, He combines his physical size with tremendous finishing skills that make him such a lethal scorer."

The Tropics will be off Easter weekend, before traveling April 10 to meet Naples FC. The next home game will be April 17 against the St. Petersburg Aztecs.

The MASL Tropics, after earning a first round bye after winning the league's regular season title, will advance to the semi-finals this weekend in Kansas City. By virtue of their first place finish, the team will get to pick its opponent, and will do so via a Facebook live stream on the MASL's website Monday at 2 p.m. Should the Tropics advance, the finals will be held in St. Louis the second weekend in April.

For more information on both teams, check www.fltropics.com, or any of the team's social media platforms.