Box Score (PDF) SPARTANBURG, S.C. – The North Florida men's soccer team pitched its second consecutive shutout this evening, topping conference foe, USC Upstate, 3-0. Winners of three of their last four, the Ospreys improve to 5-4 overall and 2-1 in Atlantic Sun play.
After not allowing a single shot on goal last week against Jacksonville last week, the Osprey defense was stout once again, surrendering just one on net this evening. Goalkeeper
Kyle Nasta turned away the Spartans only try on net in the second half and was credited with his third shutout of the season.
"This was a great team win for us, we did not give a lot of chances," said Head Coach
Derek Marinatos. "You have to give them (USC Upstate) credit, they were dangerous on the counter but we limited what they did on the offensive side of the ball."
Junior
Alex Morrell was the sparkplug for the Ospreys on offense, assisting on both of the Ospreys first two goals. In the 22
nd minute he made a run down the right side and crossed it to the near post where
Drew Spragg was able to convert his third goal of the season.
The Ospreys took a 1-0 lead into halftime and did not allow a single shot on goal in the first 45 minutes. The Spartans finally cracked the Osprey back line in the 65
th minute with Nasta's lone save. It marked the first shot on goal for an Osprey opponent in nearly 155 minutes.
Meanwhile the North Florida offense continued to flourish, adding two more scores in the second half. Junior
Milan Kovacs got himself on the stat sheet for the first time this season in the 54
th minute with his fifth career tally. A little less than 15 minutes later,
Helge Pietschmann scored his third goal in his last two games to make the score, 3-0. Spragg was credited with his second assist of the season and helped seal the victory for the Ospreys.
"After the win against Jacksonville last Saturday, we came off a great week of practice," added Marinatos. "There is great chemistry with this team, everyone is supporting each other and it seems like everyone is buying in."
Morrell becomes the sixth player in the Division I era to record two assists in a game. For two seasons in a row under Marinatos, North Florida has shutout back-to-back shutouts against conference opponents. The Ospreys have only accomplished the feat one other time, 2007, in the Division I era.
The Ospreys return home next weekend for another A-Sun bout on Saturday against Lipscomb. The game is scheduled for 7:00 p.m. at Hodges Stadium.
