JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – The North Florida men's soccer team (1-3) will look to get back on track on Wednesday when it hosts in-state foe, UCF (1-1). The Knights make their first appearance at Hodges Stadium since the 2012 season.
UNCW Tourney Recap: The Ospreys are coming off a tough weekend at the UNCW Courtyard by Marriott Wrightsville Beach Classic that featured losses to UNCW (Friday) and Elon on Sunday. North Florida surrendered a total of 10 goals between the two games. At the conclusion of the tournament, junior
Simen Solstad and sophomore
Joshua Castellanos were named to the All-Tournament Team.
Spread the Wealth: In four games this season, seven different Ospreys have scored a goal including two newcomers (
Joshua Castellanos &
Gabriel Sousa). Solstad has served as the offensive catalyst for North Florida with a team-high four points. He is the only player in the Atlantic Sun with two assists.
Series History: Although UCF has won seven of the 10 all-time meetings, North Florida has captured the last two matchups. Last season
Simen Solstad's
goal midway through the second half proved to the difference in a 1-0 UNF win. In
2013 the Ospreys prevailed, 1-0 in overtime, snapping a five game losing streak to the Knights.
Ospreys on the Attack: North Florida leads the Atlantic Sun in shots (60) by a wide margin. Despite dropping the last three decisions the Ospreys have only been outshot once (at UNCW, 11-10). In the team's season opener, North Florida unleashed 21 shots against Appalachian St., the second most in a single game in the program's D-1 era.
Scouting UCF: The Knights scored all five of their season goals in the first game of 2015 against FAU. Despite 18 shots against Mercer on Sunday, UCF fell 2-0 on two goals directly off Bear corner kicks. Sophomore Matias Pyysalo tallied six points in the season opener and went on to earn American Offensive Player of the Week honors as well as being named to the College Soccer News National Team of the Week. In the Preseason American Athletic Conference Preseason Coaches Poll, the Knights were picked to finish sixth out of eight teams.
