Box Score (PDF)JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Three first half goals lifted the North Florida men's soccer team to a 3-2 victory over Appalachian State (0-1) on a wet night in Hodges Stadium. The Ospreys have now won three-consecutive home-openers and are seeking their third-straight Mike Gibbs Tournament crown on Sunday evening.
"Going into Sunday I think we have confidence that we are 1-0 on our home field and we have won this tournament the past two years," said Head Coach
Derek Marinatos. "A credit to Appalachian State tonight, they pressured us in the second half and I don't think we took care of the ball as well as we could have which allowed them to make the game close. It was a hard fought game in the closing minutes but at the end of the day we were able to come out with the victory."
After the Ospreys opened up a 3-0 lead at halftime, the Mountaineers chipped away with two goals over the last 25 minutes of play. Once Appalachian State was within a goal of tying the game, North Florida did an outstanding job in the final 4:52 of maintaining possession and ultimately not allowing a legitimate scoring opportunity for the remainder of the game.
Senior
Alex Morrell, who has been named the tournament's offensive MVP the last two years, enjoyed another successful outing. He assisted first goal of the season and put home the game's second tally in the 33
rd minute.
Morrell sparked a furious North Florida attack over the first 45 minutes that resulted in three scores in 38 minutes.
Milan Kovacs was the recipient of a great through pass from near midfield from Morrell. Kovacs ran on to the ball near the 18 and fired a shot that beat the goalkeeper to the left side of the net. Kovacs had an active night, leading all players with five shots.
Morrell found himself in perfect position in the 33
rd minute, cashing in on a pretty cross from
Jay Bolt. After carrying down the left side of the field, Bolt was able to connect with Morrell who was waiting on six-yard line for the easy score.
The eventual game-winner was scored by the 2015 Atlantic Sun Preseason Player of the Year,
Helge Pietschmann in the 38
th minute. The senior turned a well-placed pass from
Simen Solstad for the deciding goal of the game.
For the Mountaineers, Cooper Coughlin scored the season's first goal in the 75
th minute. Less than 10 minutes later, Stephen Chapman struck after coming up with a loose ball in the box to make the score 3-2.
North Florida goalkeeper
Kyle Nasta made four saves on the night and played all 90 minutes to earn his ninth career victory. His counterpart Paul West made a game-high five saves on the Ospreys' eight shots on goal.
The dominant first half by the Ospreys saw five of their 12 shots land on goal. For the game, North Florida held a 21-7 shot advantage.
The start of the game was delayed 40 minutes at the start due to inclement weather in the women's game earlier in the day.
Sunday's opponent, Georgia State, was defeated, 2-1 by Jacksonville across town earlier in the night. The Ospreys will take on the Panthers for the second-straight season and the first time at Hodges Stadium since the 2012 Mike Gibbs Memorial Tournament.
For the latest news and updates on the UNF Men's Soccer Team, follow @OspreyMSOC on Twitter.
