University of North Florida
USC Upstate
Ospreys spear Spartans, 1-0
9/28/2007 12:00:00 AM | Men's Soccer
Sept. 28, 2007
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. - Akil DeFreitas delivered the game-winning goal in the 59th minute on Friday night at Hodges Stadium to propel the University of North Florida men's soccer team to a 1-0 win over Atlantic Sun Conference newcomer USC Upstate in the A-Sun opener for both teams.
The game also marked the home opener for the Ospreys (2-4-0, 1-0-0 A-Sun), who outshot USC Upstate (0-7-0, 0-1-0 A-Sun) 18-11, including a 10-4 margin in the second half.
"This was the same type of game we have played all year," UNF head coach Ray Bunch said. "We were lucky not to be down a goal at halftime because USC Upstate played very well and had some chances. In the second half we played very strong I thought. I was pleased with our performance. We just need to be more clinical and put games away when we have a chance. I was very impressed with USC Upstate, thought, and how hard they played. This was a good win."
DeFreitas led UNF with seven shots, including three on goal. The redshirt freshman had several point-blank looks in the second half but misfired each time before finally connecting with the game's only goal from the right side on a pass from Shareef Rajkumar.
Andrew Calise went the distance for UNF in goal to record his second career shutout. He tallied three saves, only one of which came in the second half.
USC Upstate put Jason McCabe in goal after halftime, and the freshman suffered the loss while recording one save. Carter Ridgeway started in net for the Spartans and shut out the Ospreys with four saves over the first 45 minutes.
Adam O'Neill added four shots for the Ospreys, while Oscar Ortiz, Buddy Wilks and Mikahil Awai each added two apiece. Awai, a junior transfer from Virginia Intermont, played in his first game for UNF after being cleared this week by the NCAA.
UNF and Upstate were not strangers prior to Friday, having faced each other 10 times previously as members of the Division II Peach Belt Conference. With Friday's win, UNF improved to 2-8-1 all-time against the Spartans.
"The first part of the second half our team really responded and showed a lot of energy," Bunch said. "That was the difference. It was good to get a win and to finally play at home. We will see if we can keep our success going on Sunday."
UNF returns to action on Sunday afternoon when it plays host to A-Sun foe Gardner-Webb at Hodges Stadium. Match time is set for 2 p.m.
