Men’s Soccer Duels with No. 8/11 Denver Saturday Night

DENVER, Colo. – North Florida (3-1-1) will get a crack one of the top-ranked men's soccer program's in the country on Saturday when it squares off against No. 8/11 Denver (6-0-1). The match will be the first ever meeting between the two programs.

Game Details
Date	Saturday, Sept. 17
Time	9:00 p.m. EST
Location	Denver, Colo.
Opponent	Denver
Coverage	Live Stats

Midweek Recap: Despite out-shooting USF 14-4 on Wednesday night, the Ospreys suffered their first defeat of the 2016 season. The Bulls only had one shot on goal the entire match and it found the back of the net in the 56^th minute. Nazeem Bartman scored his second-straight game-winner for USF as they improved to 2-3-2. Exactly one year prior, the Ospreys dropped their first ever meeting to USF, 2-0 despite a 16-13 shot advantage.

Recap | Box Score

Against Ranked Opponents: The Ospreys are seeking the program's first win over a top-25 opponent. North Florida enters the contest winless in nine previous chances against nationally recognized teams. The last two games against ranked opponents have been one-goal losses, including a 2-1 decision at No. 2 UNC Chapel Hill last September.

Smoak Signals: Junior Micah Smoak had fired five shots on Wednesday night, three of which went on net. He leads the Ospreys with 16 shots this season and is second on the team with three goals.

Comeback Victories: Two of the three Ospreys wins this season have been in come-from-behind fashion. The Ospreys scored two, second half goals in wins over No. 27 N.C. State and FIU. Of the Ospreys 12 goals this season, 12 have come in the final 45 minutes.

Road Warriors: Saturday night's contest will the second of four-straight road games for North Florida. The 1,749 miles between Jacksonville to Denver is the furthest road trip for the Ospreys since a road match at the University of California Riverside in 2012.

About Denver: The Pioneers come into Saturday night's contest undefeated through seven games, including a dominant 2-0 win over St. Louis on Thursday night. Denver did not allow the Billikens to get off a single shot and surrended just one corner kick in 90 minutes of action. The Pioneers have historically been very good at home and bring a 24-game regular season unbeaten streak that dates back to 2014 into Saturday's match. Denver is currently ranked eighth in the latest NSCAA National Coaches Poll and 11th in the TopDrawerSoccer Top-25. In seven games the Pioneers have outscored opponents, 14-4 and have a trio of three-goal scorers in Alex Underwood, Kortne Ford and Blake Elder.

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Players Mentioned

Micah Smoak

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