NASHVILLE, Tenn. – The Atlantic Sun Conference men's soccer championship continues on Friday evening and the North Florida men's program will seek to earn it second appearance in the league championship game in as many seasons. The Ospreys will take on top-seeded Lipscomb at 8:00 p.m. EST which will be the nightcap of an A-Sun Championship doubleheader.
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The Ospreys advanced on Wednesday night thanks to a convincing, 5-0 victory over USC Upstate. The offensive output matched the best performance in the school's Division I era. The Ospreys will look for revenge on Friday night after Lipscomb emerged with a 1-0 victory at Hodges Stadium on Oct. 18. Friday night's semifinal will be broadcasted live on
ASunTV and can be followed via
LIVE STATS courtesy of Lipscomb Athletic Communications. Fans can join the conversation on twitter by following
@OspreyMSOC for in-game updates and behind the scenes looks the men's soccer program.
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Seeking Revenge: In the regular season battle in Jacksonville, Lipscomb escaped Hodges Stadium with a 1-0 victory on Oct. 18. The Bisons lone goal halted a 242-minute opponents scoreless streak held by the Ospreys that included consecutive Atlantic Sun shutouts. The Ospreys unleashed a total of 15 shots, including 12 in the second half compared to just six from the Bisons. Reece Holcombe was credited with the game-winner in the 56th minute and Nate Davis made three saves to preserve the shutout for Lipscomb.
Series History: Friday's match will mark the first ever meeting between the two schools in the postseason. The Bisons hold a 5-4-1 all-time series advantage and have won four of the last five against the Ospreys dating back to 2010. Lipscomb has recorded back-to-back, 1-0 victories in Atlantic Sun regular season action. The last Osprey victory was a 3-2, double-overtime win in 2012. Two of the four wins against Lipscomb have come away from Hodges Stadium, in addition to the 2-2 tie in Nashville in 2009.
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Records Falling: The Ospreys tied the single-game, Division I team record for goals (5), assists (4) and points (14) on Wednesday night against USC Upstate. Goalkeeper of the Year
Kyle Nasta also tied the single season, Division I record for shutouts in a season with five in the process. It marked the second time this season that the Ospreys scored five goals in a game as they kicked off the season with a five-goal, 14-point effort against Florida Atlantic.
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Spread the Wealth: Three players,
Jay Bolt,
Christopher Bush and Dimitri Zervos scored their first goal of the season on Wednesday night. For the season, 13 different players have found the back of the net and 16 have recorded a point. It marks the second-straight season that Head Coach
Derek Marinatos has produced 13 different goal scorers which is the most since 15 different Ospreys scored a goal in 1993.
Scouting Lipscomb: The Bisons come into the game after earning a first round bye for the first time in program history. Lipscomb had qualified for eight-straight Atlantic Sun Conference Championships, the longest current streak in the league. Led by A-Sun Defensive Player of the Year Luke Gearin, Lipscomb boasts a stout defense that allowed only 21 goals this season, second fewest in the league. On the offensive side of the ball, the Bisons are equally as strong. Freshman of the Year Ivan Alvardo was fourth in the conference with 16 points this season and First Team All-Conference selection Matt Kerridge added seven goals and three assists in 2014.
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| Team-by-Team Comparison |
| No. 1 Lipscomb | No. 4 North Florida |
| Record | 12-3-1 | 7-6-1 |
| Goals | 33 | 28 |
| Assists | 30 | 22 |
| Points | 96 | 78 |
| Goals Against | 21 | 24 |
| Saves | 54 | 42 |
| Shutouts | 4 | 5 |
