Eastern Florida Men, Orlando City Play Before Big Crowd

For the third straight year the Eastern Florida men's soccer team got to test its mettle against a team from the top level of America's professional soccer.

Unlike its games against Major League Soccer's Sporting Kansas City played on a backfield at Disney's Wide World of Sports in 2014 and FC Toronto on a backfield at Champions Gate in 2015, this time was different.

Playing before a near capacity crowd at the Titan Soccer Complex on the Melbourne Campus on Sunday, the Titans fell 4-0 to Orlando City but the final score was the least of the proceedings.

A large number of Harbor City Hooligans – the fan club for the Orlando City B team that will play its home games at the Complex this spring and summer – stood and cheered and sang and waved flags throughout the game giving the entire affair the atmosphere of the games Orlando City plays before thousands of more at the Citrus Bowl.

The game wrapped up a week of Orlando City training at the complex.

"It was a fantastic experience," said Eastern Florida head coach Oliver Twelvetrees. "What a great day for Eastern Florida soccer. The stands were packed and its sign of things to come with OCB coming here.

"Just a fantastic day out for everybody. The boys played hard."

Orlando City scored three goals in the first half – Hadji Barry netting two and Tyler Turner the third – and tacked one on in the second half thanks to Tony Rocha.

Orlando City keepers Joe Bendik and Earl Edwards Jr. shared the shutout. Sophomores Nate Himes and Justin Walker shared the net for the Titans.

"There's no other junior college in the country that has this opportunity," Twelvetrees said of getting to play MLS teams. "We've enjoyed every single experience."

The Titans are in their third year as a program. They reached the NJCAA Men's Division I Championship tournament twice, falling in the semifinals in November.

Two players who figured prominently in the 2015 season were sophomores Micah Smoak and Wilfred Williams who both attained All-American status and have signed to continue their careers at the NCAA Division I level, Smoak at the University of North Florida and Williams at Oakland University in Michigan.

"It was a great experience for all the boys, playing against some of the best players," Smoak said. "Everybody out there had a match up with a pro player.

"All their passes are perfect, they're in great shape, they work together so much better than us. There's a level of professionalism as well.

"They read the game, they know what each other is going to do. They have a rhythm with each other."

Williams had similar sentiments.

"The speed of play at this level is much different than we're used to from the college level," he said.

"It's always exciting when we get to play with any kind of pro team, it doesn't really matter if they're MLS or EPL teams. It's just the excitement that you want to be there someday and you to get to play with guys who are making it there."

Orlando City B opens its home season at the Titan Soccer Complex at 7:30 p.m. March 26. Additional home dates are Friday, April 1; Saturday, April 16; Sunday, May 1; Wednesday, May 4; Saturday, May 7; Friday, May 22; Saturday, May 28; Sunday, June 5; Sunday, June 19; Saturday, July 2; Sunday, July 24; Saturday, Aug. 6; Sunday, Aug. 21; Saturday, Sept. 3.

All home games will be played at 7:30 p.m.

Season tickets for 2016 are on sale. Complete information is available at www.orlandocitysc.com/ocb/tickets