WOMEN'S SOCCER WEEKLY:<br>Lady Ospreys open A-Sun play at home

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Finally returning to Hodges Stadium is something the University of North Florida women's soccer team can anticipate at the end of the week, but the Lady Ospreys will first make a tough trip to an Atlantic Coast Conference school.

Schedule

UNF (3-4-1) crosses paths with North Carolina State (7-2-0) in Raleigh, N.C., on Wednesday at 3 p.m. The Wolfpack have posted a perfect 6-0 record on their home turf, but are currently on a two-game skid, losing to William & Mary and Old Dominion over the weekend. Wednesday's meeting will mark the first between UNF and N.C. State. UNF head coach Linda Hamilton played three seasons of her collegiate career at N.C. State before transferring to UNC for her senior season.

The Lady Ospreys will find relief from an arduous travel schedule on Friday, when USC Upstate (2-4-0) visits Hodges Stadium to open Atlantic Sun Conference play. The Spartans have a 0-1-0 record on the road and travel to Furman in mid-week action. Upstate holds a 5-4-0 edge over UNF in the all-time series record, but UNF won last year's meeting at Upstate, 3-2.

East Tennessee State (2-3-0) opens its A-Sun schedule at Jacksonville on Friday before moving across town to Hodges Stadium for a 2 p.m. start on Sunday against the Lady Ospreys. The Bucs have dropped four straight, and have not won a match in September. UNF holds a 2-1 edge in the all-time series record, and beat the Bucs 2-1 at ETSU last season.

Live Stats

UNF at N.C. State

UNF vs. USC Upstate

UNF vs. East Tennessee State

Week Recap

An overtime thriller kicked off play in the Troy Tournament for UNF last Friday, with the Lady Ospreys upsetting host Troy, 2-1. After senior Elena Luzins scored a first-half goal, sending the teams to the break tied at 1-1, and a scoreless second period, junior Kristin Rhodes netted her first goal of the season to give UNF the win. Click here for the full story.

Riding an emotional high from Friday's match, UNF watched Alabama A&M sneak past it on Sunday, 3-2. The Bulldogs leaped to a 2-0 lead before freshman Kristen Matteuzzi pulled UNF to within one goal just before halftime. Alabama A&M added another goal in the second half, which proved to be extremely crucial when Rhodes' netted her second goal of the weekend and season in the final minutes of the match. Click here for the full story.

Who's Hot

Rhodes exploded onto the scene over the weekend, scoring the first two goals of her young career at UNF. A transfer from West Florida, Rhodes has played in all eight games this season, and earned a starting spot after only two games. Despite coming off the bench, she played 101 minutes against USF in the season-opener and has averaged a little more than 80 minutes of action per game.

UNF garnered three all-tournament selections at the Troy Tournament, with Rhodes, Matteuzzi, and freshman Samantha Keyes receiving the honors. Rhodes and Matteuzzi combined for three of UNF's four goals over the weekend while Keyes saw all 188 minutes of action, playing in the defensive unit.

Record Watch

Junior Katelin Swift has scored 16 goals as a Lady Osprey and needs just one more to break into the top-10 all-time in career goals scored in UNF women's soccer history.

With 13 assists in her career at UNF, senior Elizabeth Gowan needs one more to break into the top-10 in the career assist category of the UNF women's soccer record book. Also, Gowan can break into the top-10 in goals scored if she matches her total (6) from a year ago.

Quotables

Head coach Linda Hamilton on the team's amount of travel: “It has been a long, hard stretch. We have played just one of our eight games at home, and have been on the road for the past two weeks, including a trip to Colorado. We need to get through this match at N.C. State and we can finally come home.”

Hamilton on returning to Hodges Stadium: “It will be such a relief for the girls to play in front of their home crowd. They can have a normal Friday by going to class and then be able to relax in the afternoon before our first night game of the season. Playing under the lights is always exciting, but it will be even better at our place, with our fans helping create a great atmosphere.”

Admission

No admission will be charged for any UNF home soccer matches.

WOMEN'S SOCCER WEEKLY:
Lady Ospreys open A-Sun play at home

Next Event

Footer

WOMEN'S SOCCER WEEKLY:Lady Ospreys open A-Sun play at home

Next Event

Related Videos

Footer

WOMEN'S SOCCER WEEKLY:
Lady Ospreys open A-Sun play at home