@OspreyMSOC Heads North for Gray Griffin Tournament

GREENVILLE, S.C. – The 2-0 North Florida men's soccer team will compete in the Gray Griffin Memorial Soccer Tournament hosted by Furman University this weekend. The Ospreys will play the hosts on Friday night at 7:30 p.m. and finish up with a 1:00 p.m. game against the College of Charleston on Sunday.

Prior to Friday's Furman vs. North Florida match, the Furman men's soccer program will be retiring the #12 jersey of former midfielder and U.S. U17 captain Gray Griffin who was killed in an automobile accident during our 2002 run to the NCAA Round of 16. Griffin played alongside current U.S. National Team star Clint Dempsey in his time at Furman. Friday night's game will be broadcasted live on the Southern Conference Digital Network.

Gameday Need to Know
Date(s)	Friday Sept. 5 \| Sunday Sept. 7
Time(s)	7:30 p.m. (Fri.) \| 1:00 p.m. (Sun.)
Opponents	Furman \| College of Charleston
Live Stats	Friday Link \| Sunday Link
Live Video	SoCon Network (Fri. Only)
Twitter	@OspreyMSOC (In-game Updates)

Past Weekend Milestones
- The Ospreys set a new attendance record (1,178) for a season opener and had their third-largest crowd ever last Friday night.
- North Florida scored the most goals in a game since 2006 with five against FAU last Friday.
- Eight goals are the most in the first two games of any season in program history.
- Drew Spragg tied the D-1 school record for points in a game with five (two goals, one assist) against FAU

Tourney Champs: For the second time in as many seasons, the Ospreys captured the annual Mike Gibbs Memorial Tournament Crown last weekend. Coach Marinatos' squad won the four-team tournament outright after going 2-0, defeating both FAU and NJIT. Alex Morrell was named the tournament's Offensive MVP and the Diogo Quirino was named the Defensive MVP. Morrell had a goal in each game and assisted on the team's final goal of the weekend. Quirino scored his first career goal which was also the game-winner against NJIT from his defensive position.

League Leaders: When looking at the Atlantic Sun statistical leaderboard it is littered with Ospreys. Sophomore Alex Morrell, Drew Spragg and Simen Solstad are each tied for the league lead in goals (2) and points (5). Newcomer Helge Pietschmann is the Atlantic Sun's top distributor with three assists in two games.

Out of the Gates: The last time the Ospreys won the first two games of the season was back in 1996. They have never started a season with three consecutive wins in the program's 23-year history. Last year the Ospreys started the season of 4-0-1 which is arguably their best start since starting the 1996 season off with wins in seven of their first eight games.

Regional Ranking: In the first NSCAA Southeast Regional Rankings, the Ospreys were listed fifth and one of two teams who appeared with a 2-0 record. Fellow A-Sun cohorts, FGCU and Lipscomb were ranked third and eighth respectively.

Homecoming for Marinatos: North Florida Head Coach Derek Marinatos spent five years on the Furman coaching staff from 2006-10. His stint included an NCAA Tournament Appearance in 2007 and a Southern Conference Regular Season Championship in 2010. Last time he squared off against his former employer, the Paladins pinned a 5-0 setback on the Ospreys in Greenville.

About Furman: The Paladins return to Stone Stadium after posting a 1-1-0 record in this past weekend's Aaron Olitsky Memorial Classic at Blackbaud Stadium on Daniel Island. Furman dropped Friday's opener to preseason WAC favorite Seattle, 2-1, but rebounded with a decisive 3-0 triumph over 18th-ranked UC Santa Barbara behind two goals from sophomore Bobby Edet on Sunday. Edet, midfielder Marco Ortiz and goalkeeper Sven Lissek were named to the all-tournament squad. Furman was tabbed the preseason favorite in the Southern Conference following an 11-5-2 campaign in 2013.

About Col. of Charleston: The Cougars come into the weekend seeking their first win after opening weekend losses to Seattle and No. 18 UCSB. The College of Charleston's lone goal on the weekend was scored by Clay Tanner in the 2-1 loss to UCSB. Seattle scored a goal in each half in the season-opener to clinch a 2-0 win. The Cougars were 4-11-1 in 2013 but faced a competitive schedule that featured eight teams either ranked or receiving votes in the NSCAA Coaches Poll. The College of Charleston is in their 28th season under Head Coach Ralph Lundy who is the fourth-winningest active coach (11th All-time) in Division I.

Team-by-Team Comparison
Team	2014 Record	Goals	Assists	Points	Goals Against	Saves	Shutouts
North Florida	2-0	8	8	24	3	9	0
Furman	1-1	4	3	11	2	6	1
Col. of Charleston	0-2	1	0	2	4	6	0

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