JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – The North Florida men's soccer team suffered a 2-1 setback in the season opener vs. Mercer on Friday night at Hodges Stadium.
Goals
UNF: 21' –
Mikey Connell (Penalty Kick)
MERCER: 30' – Trevor Martineau (Assist: Jake Mezei)
MERCER: 84' – Roberto Arteaga (Penalty Kick)
Inside The Box Score
- Connell broke the scoreless tie in the 21st minute on a penalty kick after finding the net in the lower left side.
- The Bears tied the match at one in the 30th minute when Martineau's header off a cross from the left side found the back of the net.
- Mercer scored the go-ahead goal in the 84th minute after Arteaga was awarded the penalty kick.
Thoughts From the Top
"I thought we came out with a lot of energy at home, and I'm proud of how our guys started the first half. We started out attacking all over them which created some chances for us offensively, and we got the penalty kick out of it. Mercer's pressure in the first 10-15 minutes of the second half picked up and slowed us down a little, but we started to settle down and got some good momentum going forward which provided us some good looks. In a late-game situation, I would like to see better execution late in the match while down a goal, but that can be fixed. We used a lot of guys tonight and I don't think our level of energy dropped at all which shows our depth and that our squad will battle." – Head coach
Derek Marinatos
Quick Kicks
- Connell's penalty kick was the second goal of his collegiate career.
- Adam Everett posted a team-high two shots while five Ospreys totaled one shot each.
- Mercer finished with a 16-7 advantage in shots over UNF while both teams tallied five corner kicks apiece.
- Padraic Gilley recorded three saves while making his UNF debut.
- 19 Ospreys saw action tonight in the season opener.
- Seven yellow cards were issued in the match.
Up Next
UNF returns to action Sunday as the Ospreys host Appalachian State at 7 p.m. at Hodges Stadium in the final day of the Mike Gibbs Memorial Tournament.
