University of North Florida
Campbell
MEN'S SOCCER WEEKLY:
Ospreys try to keep streak alive
10/7/2008 10:40:18 AM | Men's Soccer
UNF hosts Campbell on Thursday and Mercer on Saturday
Schedule
UNF (5-5-0, 2-0-0 A-Sun) will look for its third-straight win and first-ever 3-0 start in A-Sun play on Thursday, Oct. 9, when
Mercer (1-5-3), who faces the Ospreys on Saturday, Oct. 11, at 7 p.m., picked up its first win of the season in its conference-opener, posting a 4-1 win over FGCU before battling Stetson to a double-overtime draw. The Bears had lost four straight and five of their last six before the win. Mercer defeated UNF 1-0 last season and holds a 2-0-1 advantage in the series record. However, this season, the Bears are winless on the road with a 0-4-1 record.
* This weekend's trio leads the A-Sun in goals per conference contest. UNF, Mercer, and Campbell have each scored five goals through two league matches.
Live Stats
UNF vs. Campbell – Thursday, Oct. 9 – 7 p.m.
UNF vs. Mercer – Saturday, Oct. 11 – 7 p.m.
Week Recap
The Ospreys went 2-0 to open their conference schedule for the third time in four seasons in the A-Sun. In this year's conference opener, UNF battled
UNF matched its longest winning streak of the season with its second-straight A-Sun win, this time a 3-0 decision over USC Upstate. DeFreitas netted his third goal of the weekend and added his first assist of the season while sophomore Adam O'Neill and senior Mikhail Awai also found the back of the net. Click here for the full story.
Who's Hot
DeFreitas earned UNF's first-ever men's soccer A-Sun Player of the Week award after steering his squad to the top of the league standings through the first weekend of play. He totaled seven points (three goals and one assist) and scored the game-winning goal in both matches. He leads the A-Sun in shots during league play (11), goals, points and game-winning goals while topping the Osprey squad with four goals this season (tied with O'Neill). Click here for more information.
The UNF squad pulled its record to an even mark for the first time this season after matching its longest winning streak of the season – two matches. The Ospreys lead the league in goals during conference play and goals against average in A-Sun competition (0.46) and rank second in points and assists during conference play.
Both matches at Hodges Stadium this season have ended in the same fashion – Osprey wins in overtime. And each time, DeFreitas mounted an attack that ended with a foul in the box, setting up a pair of game-winning penalty kicks by O'Neill.
Record Watch
With two game-winning goals last weekend, DeFreitas increased his career number in that category to six, which ranks tied for second in the UNF men's soccer record book (tied with Robert West). One more game-winner will move him in to a tie for the top spot with Peter Sesay. DeFreitas' mark of four game-winners last season tops the single season record list (tied with A.J. Romano).
Quotables
Head coach Ray Bunch on the team's A-Sun start: “We finally had a strong first-half showing in our match against Upstate. We've been in a situation before where we started our A-Sun schedule with two wins but have never gotten the third one. We need to keep the focus we had last weekend. There is still a lot of conference action ahead of us.”
Bunch on this weekend's matchups: “This will be a very difficult weekend. The conference is still wide open and full of good teams. We're glad to be on our home field this weekend in hopes of keeping our streak alive.”
Bunch on DeFreitas' honor: “It gives a boost of confidence not only to Akil but to the entire team. Akil did a fantastic job. Scoring can sometimes come in streaks when you play the forward position. Even when scoring chances do come, it can be discouraging to sail a ball high or wide. Having a good weekend gives a surge of energy to our whole team.”
