SPARTANBURG, S.C. – Playoff implications loom for both No. 22 North Florida (8-3-2, 4-0-1 ASUN) and USC Upstate (3-9, 1-4 ASUN) in Saturday's regular season finale at County University Stadium. The match will be streamed live on ASUNTV and is scheduled for a 7:00 p.m. start.
| Game Details |
| Date |
Saturday, Oct. 29 |
| Time |
7:00 p.m. |
| Location |
Spartanburg, S.C. (County Univesity Stadium) |
| Opponent |
USC Upstate |
| Coverage |
ASUNTV | Live Stats |
What's on the line
-North Florida clinches the outright ASUN regular season championship, the No. 1 seed in the ASUN Tournament and home field advantage in the ASUN postseason with a win OR an FGCU loss/ at Lipscomb. The Ospreys can be no lower than a two-seed in the tournament and will only fall to the second spot with a loss/draw to USC Upstate and a FGCU win at Lipscomb.
-USC Upstate is the #5 seed with a win and a Jacksonville win OR a win and a Jacksonville/Stetson draw; #6 seed with a win/draw and a Stetson win OR with a draw and Jacksonville/Stetson draw; eliminated with a loss and Jacksonville win/draw.
Match Notes
Tied Down: In Wednesday's makeup game against ASUN foe, NJIT the two teams played to a 1-1 tie at Hodges Stadium. Highlander freshman Juan Zapata netted the equalizer with 8:49 left in regulation, his first collegiate goal. The Ospreys'
Micah Smoak gave the Ospreys a first half lead with goal off a set piece in the 39
th minute.
Smoakin: Bogged down by injury for the middle part of the Osprey season,
Micah Smoak has returned to provide a jolt to the Osprey offense. He has four goals in nine games played including the lone goal against NJIT on Wednesday. He played 92 minutes on Wednesday, his second highest minute total of the season.
Extra Time: After Wednesday, the Ospreys have now played in four overtime games this season, three in ASUN play. In those four games North Florida boasts an overtime record of 2-0-2. Dating back to last season, the Ospreys are 5-0-2 in extra time and haven't lost an overtime game since Sept. 5, 2014.
Unbeaten Streak: The Ospreys come into Saturday's game unbeaten in four-straight games, the longest in the program's D-1 era (2005-present) and the most since the Ospreys started the 2002 season, 3-0-1.
Logging the Minutes: Goalkeeper
Juanes Fajardo, owner of the ASUN's lowest goals against average (0.64), played all 110 minutes of Wednesday afternoon's game, his longest outing of his career. He's played played in three full games during his three-year tenure with the Ospreys.
Championship Rematch: Saturday's meeting will be a rematch of the 2015 ASUN Championship Game. The Spartans improbable run to the ASUN Championship game last season came to a halt when it suffered a 7-0 loss to North Florida, the largest margin of victory in conference championship game history. The Ospreys also took the regular season matchup via the shutout, a 2-0 decision at Hodges Stadium.
All-Time Series: The 21 all-time meetings against USC Upstate is the most against any opponent in North Florida's history. The Spartans hold an 11-9-1 advantage in the all-time series but the Ospreys have won the last four matchups. Since joining the ASUN, North Florida is 8-3 against USC Upstate including postseason action.
About USC Upstate: The Spartans have stumbled down the stretch and are losers of eight of the last nine games. Their lone ASUN win came against Jacksonville back on Oct. 1. The USC Upstate offense has been shut out in five games this season including the last two times out on the pitch. After losing the team's top two scorers from a year ago in Leon Schwarzer (9g, 6a) and Gordon Wild (16g, 2a), Spartan freshman Joel Bunting has taken the team's scoring reigns with four goals in 2016.
