@OspreyMSOC Continues A-Sun Play Saturday at USC Upstate
10/10/2014 1:13:00 PM | Men's Soccer
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SPARTANBURG, S.C. – The North Florida men's soccer team looks to make it two conference wins in a row on Saturday night when they hit the road to take on USC Upstate. The Ospreys are winners of two of their last three games and are fresh off a 2-0 win over cross town rival, Jacksonville.
USC Upstate comes into Saturday's contest with an overall record of 2-6-1 and lost its Atlantic Sun opener to Lipscomb, 2-1 on Wednesday night. The Ospreys sit at 4-4 and are tied for third place with record against league opponents of 1-1. The game will be broadcasted live on ASun.TV and can be followed along via LIVE STATS courtesy of USC Upstate athletic communications. As always, North Florida fans can follow @OspreyMSOC on twitter for in-game updates and inside information.
High Scoring Rematch: Saturday will be a do-over of last's year's 4-3, USC Upstate victory at Patton Park. After the Ospreys scored the game's first goal, the Spartans rattled off four-straight scores. North Florida had a late comeback fall short, scoring two goals in the final 6:05. Since entering the A-Sun, the Ospreys have won four of the seven meetings. However, the Spartans are winners of the last three matchups.
Sweep of A-Sun Accolades: Following a triumphant, 2-0 win over Jacksonville last Saturday, Osprey forward Helge Pietschmann and defender Jay Bolt were both honored by the league on Monday. It marked the first time in program history that the Ospreys had two players honored in the same week. Pietschmann scored both of the Ospreys goals, the first two of his North Florida career and garnered Player of the Week honors. Bolt was named Defensive Player of the Week for his contributions to the Osprey defense that did not allow a single shot on goal. Bolt also added an assist, the second from his back line position this season.
Courtesy of atlanticsun.org
Top Scorers: The crucial Atlantic Sun match will feature two of the leagues top six scorers. Both Simen Solstad of North Florida and Marvin Schmiege have found the back of the net four times this season. Solstad scored in the four of the first five games of the season for the Ospreys, including the game-winner against UCF. Schmiege scored twice in Upstate's 2-0 win over Presbyterian and tallied the teams lone goal on Wednesday night.
Scouting the Spartans: USC Upstate comes into the match having lost five of the last six games. Their two wins this season have come against VMI on Sept. 12 and Presbyterian on Sept. 20. On Wednesday, Lipscomb erased a 1-0 halftime deficit and scored two in the final 26 minutes to come away with the victory over the Spartans. The game-winner came off the foot of Matt Kerridge with just three minutes remaining. Spartan goalkeeper, Hassan Haddad notched seven saves in the loss and remains in the top five in the league in save percentage (.778).
