WOMEN'S SOCCER WEEKLY: Lady Ospreys travel as season nears end

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Three matches on the road will bring the University of North Florida women's soccer team's season to a close, beginning with two matches in Nashville, Tenn., this weekend, when the Lady Ospreys will try to make their Atlantic Sun Conference record a winning one.

Schedule

UNF (6-9-1, 3-4-0 A-Sun) kicks off this weekend's play on Friday at 7:30 p.m. against Belmont (9-6-1, 4-3-1) in a match that will be played on Vanderbilt's campus. The Bruins sit third in the conference standings after finishing 1-1 last weekend with a 2-1 win against Stetson and a 1-0 loss to Florida Gulf Coast. UNF and Belmont have met three times in the past, compiling a 1-1-1 series record. Last season, the Bruins posted a 2-0 win at Hodges Stadium but have notched only one win at home this season.

The Lady Ospreys cap the weekend on Sunday at Lipscomb (4-10-2, 2-5-1) at 2 p.m. The Lady Bisons fell to Stetson, 2-0, and tied FGCU, 1-1, last weekend, and rank 10^th – one spot behind the Lady Ospreys – in the league standings. Lipscomb's lone win against UNF came last season at Hodges Stadium, 2-1, and the Lady Ospreys hold a 2-1 advantage in the all-time series record. This season, the Lady Bisons are 1-5 on their home turf.

Live Stats

UNF at Belmont – Friday, Oct. 24 – 7:30 p.m.

ASUN.TV

UNF at Lipscomb – Sunday, Oct. 26 – 2 p.m.

Week Recap

In its home finale and only match of the week, UNF lost for the first time in overtime this season. Campbell handed the Lady Ospreys a 2-1 loss less than three minutes into the extra time. UNF's goal in the senior-day match was scored by junior Katelin Swift, with senior Elizabeth Gowan assisting. The Lady Ospreys have played three overtime matches this season, posting one win, one loss and one tie. Click here for the full story on this past Saturday's match against Campbell.

Record Watch

Swift broke into the top-10 in career goals scored in UNF women's soccer history earlier this season, and climbed another spot on Saturday when she netted her 23^rd career goal. She is seventh on the all-time goals scored list and needs two more to take sole possession of sixth place. Her score on Saturday was also her 10^th goal of the season, which places her tied with Erin Wiggins for 10^th on the single-season goals scored list.

Gowan already owns a spot in the Lady Osprey career record book with 15 career assists, which ranks tied for seventh all-time, and is now moving up another career list. She has played in 67 games for UNF, starting 66. Her mark of games started is eighth on the career list and she can move into a tie for sixth if she starts the remainder of this season's matches.

Quotables

Head coach Linda Hamilton on the team's results at Hodges Stadium this season: “I am much happier with the way we performed in front of our fans this season, even though the last home match was disappointing. That is one thing we wanted to improve this season and we definitely did a much better job of connecting with our fan base and creating an exciting environment at home. It will be fun to continue to build on that.”

Hamilton on a strong finish to the season: “We want to see ourselves in a position where we would qualify for the A-Sun tournament if we were eligible. That means we need to gain one spot to finish eighth, and we have three matches to do it. The key now is to focus on our very next opponent, which means now we are gearing up for Friday's match against Belmont.”

Hamilton on finishing close matches: “It's been a bit of a roller-coaster season for us. We've beaten some very good teams but then turned around and lost to teams that weren't as strong. In reality, we're not a new program, but we are fairly new to Division I, which has made for some tough matches. We need to work on our consistency and battle through those tough spots.”

WOMEN'S SOCCER WEEKLY: Lady Ospreys travel as season nears end

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WOMEN'S SOCCER WEEKLY: Lady Ospreys travel as season nears end

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