#MSOC Opens Season With Mike Gibbs Memorial Tournament

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – The University of North Florida men's soccer team opens the 2013 regular season in the Mike Gibbs Memorial Tournament. The Ospreys, who co-host the event with the Jacksonville University Dolphins, will play host to Western Illinois (Friday, Aug. 30 at 7:00 p.m.) before closing out the weekend with Valparaiso (Sunday, Sept. 1 at 1:00 p.m.). Both matches will take place at Patton Park in Jacksonville and admission to each match is FREE.

North Florida enters the opening weekend after a pair of exhibition matches.

In the first exhibition against Georgia Southern, the defense shined as the two teams battled to a 0-0 tie. The Ospreys had opportunities, but were unable to break the plane of the goal line. Brad Sienkiewicz and Kyle Nasta combined at goal for the shutout. The scoreless effort by the keepers was highlighted by a stop by Sienkiewicz on a penalty kick.

The offense came alive in the second exhibition match as the Ospreys played Rollins to a 3-3 tie. North Florida wasted little time, netting a goal in the first 31 seconds of the match. The Ospreys scored on three of their first four shots with Alex Morrell going two-for-two in scoring chances. UNF led 3-2 at intermission, but surrendered the equalizer in the second half. Despite a solid offensive attack, neither team was able to break the deadlock.

The men's soccer program under head coach Derek Marinatos made a solid step forward in his second season at the helm in 2012, registering a 4-12-0 overall mark. The team, consisting of primarily freshman and sophomores, collected quality experience in year two. The team boasted two freshmen – Camilo Garcia and Alex Morrell – named to the Atlantic Sun All-Freshman Team. The duo became the first pair of Ospreys, since 2007, to earn All-Freshman honors. In addition, freshman Jean Rivaroli was tabbed A-Sun Player of the Week on Aug. 27, 2012 making him just the second ever A-Sun POW honoree in school history and the first in the Derek Marinatos Era.

The men's soccer team ranked first in the NCAA in saves per match with senior transfer Brad Sienkiewicz finishing his first season at goalkeeper ranking second in the NCAA individually in saves per match. Freshman goalie Kyle Nasta posted 7.75 saves per match which would have led the NCAA, but the rookie did not meet national minimums. Sienkiewicz finished the year with 70 saves, ranking 70th in the NCAA, while Nasta concluded the year with 62 stops.

Offensively, the Ospreys more than tripled their goals scored from the season before, adding over seven times the amount of assists. The team was young, but the rookies stepped up throughout the season with four of the top five point scorers on the team being freshmen. The team posted four times as many multiple-goal matches as they did the year before, scoring four goals on two separate occasions – the first time since 2009 that the Ospreys scored four goals in a match and the first time since 2003 that the men's soccer team recorded multiple matches with four or more goals scored.

In addition to the on the field improvements, Marinatos' influence also carried over into the classroom. The men's soccer team boasted its highest grade point average ever with a 3.15 GPA in the spring of 2013 and over a 3.04 GPA for the entire 2012-13 academic year. Thirteen (13) players off of the 2012 team were named to the Atlantic Sun Conference Academic Honor Roll.

Scouting the Opposition:
Western Illinois: Western Illinois men's soccer begins the defense of its back-to-back Summit League Championships as it opens the season at the Mike Gibbs Memorial Invitational, with contests at North Florida and Jacksonville this weekend. For the Leathernecks, Charlie Bales, Drew Edmond and Austin Gochneaur were named to the College Sports Madness Preseason All-League Team. Bales earned a First Team nod, while Edmond and Gochneaur received Second Team honors.

Valparaiso: The Valparaiso men's side opens the 2013 regular season campaign with a pair of games in Jacksonville, Fla. this weekend. The Crusaders take on Jacksonville on Friday, Aug. 30, and then North Florida on Sunday, Sept. 1 at the Mike Gibbs Memorial Tournament. The Crusader men wrapped up exhibition play on Monday, defeating Lewis 2-0 at Brown Field. The previous Saturday, Valpo traveled to Fort Wayne, Ind., where it defeated IPFW 2-1. The Crusader men finished preseason with a 2-0-0 record.

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#MSOC Opens Season With Mike Gibbs Memorial Tournament

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