Sunday, August 31
Jacksonville, Fla.
7:00 p.m.
University of North Florida
vs
NJIT
Photo by: Todd Drexler
@OspreyMSOC Begins 2014 Campaign With Mike Gibbs Tournament
8/28/2014 4:05:00 PM | Men's Soccer
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – The 2014 season will get underway for the North Florida men's soccer team this weekend with a pair of games in the Third Annual Mike Gibbs Memorial Tournament. The Ospreys will begin with a Friday night matchup against FAU and finish of the weekend with a bout against NJIT on Sunday evening.
Each year the Ospreys are improving under Head Coach Derek Marinatos. The fourth-year front man took the Ospreys from a one-win team in 2011 all the way to the Atlantic Sun Conference Championship game in 2013. Another influx of new talent, combined with strong leadership from returners should be the formula for an exciting year at Hodges Stadium.
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High Praise: The Ospreys garnered their highest preseason ranking since joining the Atlantic Sun Conference earlier this summer. The coaches around the league picked North Florida to finish third behind FGCU and Lipscomb who both tied for first. Both Jay Bolt and Alex Morrell were selected to the league's 13-man, Preseason All-Conference Team.
The Historic Postseason Run: North Florida went into last year's Atlantic Sun Tournament as the fifth overall seed. Qualifying for their first postseason since 2009, the Ospreys dismissed fourth-seeded Mercer 1-0 in the first round. They went on to defeat top-seeded FGCU in Fort Myers but ultimately fell to ETSU in the Championship game, 3-1.
Building on Last Year's Success: The Ospreys compiled their first winning season in more than a decade last year, finishing with an overall record of 8-7-3. The Ospreys, who prided themselves on defense, set a new school record with a 1.17 team goals against average. They also set a new school Division I mark with five shutouts.
A look at FAU: The Owls are coming off a 7-7-2 season in 2013 and move into the 27th season under Head Coach Kos Donev. Competing in the highly competitive Conference USA, Florida Atlantic was picked to finish ninth in the league's Preseason Coaches Poll. C-USA has three nationally ranked teams going into the first week of the season - New Mexico, Charlotte and Old Dominion. The Owls return two of the top three goal scorers from a year ago in senior Deniz Bozkurt and sophomore Jason Fitzgerald. Also back for his second season is goalkeeper Theo Jamilloux who started all 16 games in 2013 in goal his first year with the team.
A look at NJIT: Sunday will mark the first ever matchup between NJIT and UNF. The Highlanders will begin their first season of competition in the Sun Belt Conference as an affiliate member. Under first-year Head Coach Didier Orellana, NJIT finished the season with a record of 7-9-2, which included quality, one-goal road losses at nationally-ranked foes No. 19 St. John's and No. 22 Fairleigh Dickinson. The Highlanders return players who scored 21 of the team's 25 goals in 2013, good for 84 percent and eighth-best in the country.
About the Mike Gibbs Memorial Tournament: Established in 2011, The Mike Gibbs Memorial Tournament is named after former UNF men's soccer Mike Gibbs. The Orange Park, Fla. native was a member of the Ospreys from 1993-1995 and passed away in 2003. A endowed scholarship in his name benefits current North Florida student-athletes. The four-team tournament is hosted on the campus' both UNF and Jacksonville and include FAU and NJIT in 2014. A champion and All-Tournament Team is announced at the conclusion of all four games.
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Each year the Ospreys are improving under Head Coach Derek Marinatos. The fourth-year front man took the Ospreys from a one-win team in 2011 all the way to the Atlantic Sun Conference Championship game in 2013. Another influx of new talent, combined with strong leadership from returners should be the formula for an exciting year at Hodges Stadium.
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| Gameday Need to Know | |
| Â Date(s) | Â Friday Aug. 29 | Sunday Aug. 31 |
| Â Time(s) | Â 8:00 p.m. (Fri.) | 7:00 p.m. (Sun.) |
| Â Opponents | Â FAU | NJIT |
| Â Live Stats | Â UNF Live Stats (Both Games) |
| Â Live Video | Â ASun.TV (Both Games) |
| Â Twitter | Â @OspreyMSOC (In-game Updates) |
| Â FREE SCARVES & FOOD for first 200 fans! | |
High Praise: The Ospreys garnered their highest preseason ranking since joining the Atlantic Sun Conference earlier this summer. The coaches around the league picked North Florida to finish third behind FGCU and Lipscomb who both tied for first. Both Jay Bolt and Alex Morrell were selected to the league's 13-man, Preseason All-Conference Team.
The Historic Postseason Run: North Florida went into last year's Atlantic Sun Tournament as the fifth overall seed. Qualifying for their first postseason since 2009, the Ospreys dismissed fourth-seeded Mercer 1-0 in the first round. They went on to defeat top-seeded FGCU in Fort Myers but ultimately fell to ETSU in the Championship game, 3-1.
Building on Last Year's Success: The Ospreys compiled their first winning season in more than a decade last year, finishing with an overall record of 8-7-3. The Ospreys, who prided themselves on defense, set a new school record with a 1.17 team goals against average. They also set a new school Division I mark with five shutouts.
A look at FAU: The Owls are coming off a 7-7-2 season in 2013 and move into the 27th season under Head Coach Kos Donev. Competing in the highly competitive Conference USA, Florida Atlantic was picked to finish ninth in the league's Preseason Coaches Poll. C-USA has three nationally ranked teams going into the first week of the season - New Mexico, Charlotte and Old Dominion. The Owls return two of the top three goal scorers from a year ago in senior Deniz Bozkurt and sophomore Jason Fitzgerald. Also back for his second season is goalkeeper Theo Jamilloux who started all 16 games in 2013 in goal his first year with the team.
A look at NJIT: Sunday will mark the first ever matchup between NJIT and UNF. The Highlanders will begin their first season of competition in the Sun Belt Conference as an affiliate member. Under first-year Head Coach Didier Orellana, NJIT finished the season with a record of 7-9-2, which included quality, one-goal road losses at nationally-ranked foes No. 19 St. John's and No. 22 Fairleigh Dickinson. The Highlanders return players who scored 21 of the team's 25 goals in 2013, good for 84 percent and eighth-best in the country.
About the Mike Gibbs Memorial Tournament: Established in 2011, The Mike Gibbs Memorial Tournament is named after former UNF men's soccer Mike Gibbs. The Orange Park, Fla. native was a member of the Ospreys from 1993-1995 and passed away in 2003. A endowed scholarship in his name benefits current North Florida student-athletes. The four-team tournament is hosted on the campus' both UNF and Jacksonville and include FAU and NJIT in 2014. A champion and All-Tournament Team is announced at the conclusion of all four games.
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| Team-by-Team Comparison | |||||||
| Â Team | 2013 Record | Â Goals | Assists | Points | Goals Against | Saves | Shutouts |
| Â North Florida | 8-7-3 | 23 | 13 | 59 | 22 | 74 | 5 |
| Â Florida Atlantic | 7-7-2 | 25 | 20 | 70 | 35 | 75 | 3 |
| Â NJIT | 7-9-2 | 25 | 16 | 66 | 25 | 95 | 6 |
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