Ospreys Fall to Paladins at Furman Invite

Sunday, September 13

Greenville, S.C.

2:30 p.m.

University of North Florida

Furman

Shareef Rajkumar had a shot on goal against Furman.

9/13/2009 5:54:32 PM | Men's Soccer

Steven Lowenthal and Jonathan Lusambo were both named to the All-Tournament Team for their efforts on the weekend.

By: UNF Athletics

Box Score

GREENVILLE, S.C. – The University of North Florida men's soccer team dropped a 3-0 decision in the final match of the Diadora/Spinx Furman Invitational to tournament-host Furman. Steven Lowenthal and Jonathan Lusambo were both named to the All-Tournament Team for their efforts on the weekend.

“I thought we have played very,” head coach Ray Bunch remarked after the match. “They [Furman] showed why they were a preseason top 25 team. Once they scored the first goal, they controlled the tempo of the match. I thought we played very well. It was a disappointing weekend. I really thought we were very equal in Friday's match and just made a few mistakes, but I thought that Furman earned their goals today.”

“It has been a tough couple of weeks on the road,” Bunch continued. “The good thing is we have played top teams on their grounds. We really didn't make any mistakes. We just played a team that was better than us today. Friday should be big for us because playing at home is always big boost.”

The Ospreys offense played aggressive but was hurt by five offside penalties in the match. The two teams combined for seven total offside penalties and 34 fouls. UNF totaled 19 fouls, compared to 15 by FU.

Furman took 14 shots compared to just three by UNF. Eight of the shots by the Paladins were on goal, but only three crossed the plane of the goal. However, those goals proved to be costly as each North Florida attempt was kept out of the goal.

Senior Shareef Rajkumar had the only shot on goal for the Ospreys, while Dario Grgic recorded a pair of shots on the afternoon.

Furman's Eric Cobleigh put the hosts on the scoreboard with a goal in the 18th minute of the match. The shot was just inside the right goalpost from approximately 13 yards out.

FU's Fabien Vorbe finished of a cross from the left side with his second goal of the season and Furman's second goal of the afternoon. The tournament hosts scored the final goal of the match in the 89th minute. With less than a minute remaining, Jordan Howard made a goal off of touch pass to provide the final margin.

North Florida's men's soccer team returns to action on Friday, Sept. 18, as UNF plays its home opener against Georgia State at 5 p.m. at Hodges Stadium. The match will be available on asun.tv.

Diadora/Spinx Invitational All-Tournament Team

Matt Morris, CofC (Offensive MVP)

Branco Gavric, CofC (Defensive MVP)

Clark Hankins, CofC

Justin Fojo, CofC

John Bello, CofC

Nasar Onyeuku, Furman

Debola Ogunseye, Furman

Michael Erwood, Furman

Steven Lowenthal, UNF

Jonathan Lusambo, UNF

Matthew Oshaughnes, FGCU