JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – After ending its Atlantic Sun Conference slate with a record that would have placed it in the A-Sun tournament for the second-straight season, the University of North Florida men’s soccer team will take the field one last time for its home finale and senior day at Hodges Stadium.
Schedule
UNF (8-10-0, 4-5-0 A-Sun) wraps up its 2008 campaign against red-hot Coastal Carolina (8-7-1) on Saturday at noon. The Chanticleers have won five in a row and seven of their last eight. The lone loss during the stretch came at Gardner-Webb, 2-1. The meeting will mark the second between the two with Coastal Carolina posting a 4-1 win at home against the Ospreys in last season’s finale.
Due to reclassification, UNF is ineligible for the conference tournament for the final season. If eligible, the Ospreys would enter the 2008 A-Sun Tournament as the sixth seed, and face third-seeded Lipscomb. A potential second round matchup would pit the Ospreys against cross-town rival Jacksonville. Click here for complete A-Sun standings.
Live Stats
ASUN.TV
Week Recap
Lipscomb handed the Ospreys a 3-1 loss on Friday, Halloween night, in the first match of the final weekend of league play. The Bisons took a 2-0 lead in the first half before sophomore Adam O’Neill pulled UNF within one goal a little more than 10 minutes into the second half. However, Lipscomb added an insurance goal and kept the Ospreys away from the net for the remainder of the match. Click here for the full story.
The Ospreys survived a late rally by Belmont on Sunday, and finished their A-Sun schedule on a positive note – a 3-2 win. UNF used goals by senior Oscar Ortiz, junior Ryan Billings and freshman Dario Grigc to take a 3-0 lead before the Bruins came storming back in the final 10 minutes, netting two goals. Click here for the full story.
Who’s Hot
O’Neill scored his team-best sixth goal (tied with sophomore Akil DeFreitas) in UNF’s first match of the weekend and added to his team-high assist total, which now stands at four, with two in Sunday’s match. He has played in 17 matches this season, starting 16. O’Neill leads the team with 16 points and 45 shots and has also scored two game-winners.
In conference action this season, DeFreitas notched four goals and an assist. He compiled a .556 shot on goal percentage and netted three game-winners during A-Sun action. His nine points during league competition tied O’Neill for tops on the team. O’Neill scored three goals and assisted on three goals in conference play.
Record Watch
DeFreitas and O’Neill each need two more goals to break into the top 10 on UNF’s career goals scored list. DeFreitas already owns the single season record for game-winners with four last season (tied with A.J. Romano) and currently sits atop the career game-winning goals list with seven (tied with Peter Sesay).
Quotables
Head coach Ray Bunch on the team’s A-Sun finish: “It’s disappointing that we aren’t eligible for the tournament, especially considering we have finished in the top six for the past two seasons. I think that shows that we have taken well to the transition into Division I and that we can continue to make strides and remain competitive.”
Bunch on the season finale: “This is a match that will allow us to continue playing in November, despite being ineligible for our conference tournament. It also gives Coastal Carolina a chance to tune-up before entering their tournament. We want to come out and leave it all on the field and end our season with a win.”
Admission
No admission will be charged.