JACKSONVILLE, Fla. - North Florida men's soccer (4-7-4, 3-3-2 ASUN) found its spark on offense within the opening seconds of the second half to earn a 1-0 win against Jacksonville (3-8-4, 0-5-3 ASUN) on Tuesday evening.
Senior Bryson Smith, in his last game at Hodges Stadium, put one in the net to help lead the Ospreys to victory and take back the Dennis Viollet Cup in their regular season finale. UNF faced 10 shots in the second half from the Dolphins, but the defense stood tall allowing no shots on goal for a second-consecutive match.
With the win against JU, the Ospreys have secured the No. 5 seed in the ASUN Championship tournament and are slated to face off against No. 4 FGCU in the quarterfinals on Lipscomb's side of the bracket in Nashville, Tenn.
GOALS
46' | Bryson Smith (Luto Tom & Nino Smith) - UNF
HOW IT HAPPENED
- The Ospreys attacked early and often in the opening minutes of the match, outshooting JU, 3-0, at the 10 minute mark.
- Through most of the first half, both teams were battling out possession as the ball stayed outside each box for a significant amount of time.
- UNF held the Dolphins to no real chances until the 43rd minute, but the JU shot went off the crossbar to send it to the half tied.
- Just a mere 43 seconds after kicking off the second half, Luto Tom relayed it to Bryson Smith to open up a golden 1-vs-1 opportunity, which resulted in an Osprey goal to take the 1-0 lead.
- Once the goal was scored, UNF locked down on defense and did not allow any shots on goal through 90 minutes.
- JU had one last shot to equalize in the 87th minute, but the header went high off the corner to lock down the one-goal victory for UNF in their regular season finale.
RECORDS
North Florida | 4-7-4 (3-3-2)
Jacksonville | 3-8-4 (0-5-3)
QUICK KICKS
- Bryson Smith scored his first goal of the year in his last game at Hodges Stadium, as well as his sixth-career score as an Osprey.
- Smith has now recorded a goal in all five seasons that he has played in his career for UNF.
- Held teams to no shots on goal in back-to-back games.
- Nino Smith made his debut start of the season and his first since last season's finale against Liberty.
- Third straight River City rumble match to end with a 1-0 score, as well as fifth consecutive shutout in the rivalry by the winning team.
- The Ospreys have won at least one regular season match against JU for the Dennis Viollet Cup in eight of the past nine seasons.
- It is the fifth straight win against JU at Hodges Stadium and the first time closing out regular season with back-to-back wins since the 2017 season.
- UNF will wrap up the regular season and head into postseason play with three consecutive shutouts, including two victories.
FROM THE MOUTH OF MARINATOS
UP NEXT
The Ospreys will make the trip up to Nashville, Tenn., to play in the ASUN Championship quarterfinals on neutral grounds against Florida Gulf Coast on Saturday, Nov. 5, at 8 p.m. EST. The winner of the single-elimination match will go on to play top-seeded Lipscomb the following Monday.
