JACKSONVILLE, Fla. - North Florida men's soccer looks to bring momentum from its pair of exhibitions into the regular season as the Ospreys open the 2023 campaign against USC Upstate on Thursday, Aug. 24, at 7 p.m., in Spartanburg, S.C.

WHAT TO KNOW

• Head coach Derek Marinatos returns for his 13th season as the head coach of the men's soccer club.
• Graduate players Herbie Steigelman and Bendeguz Burka enter their fifth seasons as the most experienced Ospreys, as they serve as captains on this year's team.
• Steigelman and Burka combined for 2,463 minutes in 2022, as they were the only two players from last season who eclipsed 1,000 total minutes.
• Burka was recently voted by the fans on Facebook as the ASUN Fan Vote Preseason Player of the Year.
• UNF return four other starters with Braden Masker, Micah Gun, Angus Taylor and Scott Beeks returning with seven or more starts under their belt from last season.
• After losing 14 letterwinners, UNF will return 16 players, as well as bring in 16 newcomers for 2023.
• The Ospreys will be opening on the road for the third time over the past four seasons.
• They will also be playing USC Upstate for the first time since 2019 and in Spartanburg, S.C., for the first time since 2016.

SCOUTING THE OPPONENT

USC Upstate was recently selected to finish third in the Big South Conference by the coaches. They also had three players elected to the Preseason All-Conference Team with Jeremy Montero, Felipe Marty and Julian Fernandez.

Montero had the most goals on the team last season with three scores, as well as three assists on 41 shots taken. Marty had two goals and three assists, while Fernandez also added a goal on five shots on goal.

In 2022, the Spartans earned a 6-6-5 record with a 4-1-3 record in conference play and a 2-1-4 record at home. They didn't receive their first win of the season until their sixth game but made the Big South Championship semifinals.

Much like the Ospreys, USC Upstate played in two exhibitions matches before being set to open their season. The Spartans will be one of two Big South opponents for UNF, as Winthrop will play at Hodges Stadium on Sept. 1.

SERIES HISTORY

- UNF is 10-9-1 all-time against USC Upstate with a 3-5 record against them on the road.
- The Ospreys have seven consecutive victories against the Spartans with six of the seven matches being in shutout fashion.
- They played each other annually in ASUN competition from 1997-2017 before USC Upstate left for the Big South.
- In 2016, UNF defeated USC Upstate, 4-0, last time they traveled to Spartanburg, S.C.
- UNF defeated USC Upstate twice in the span of 15 days en route to the 2015 ASUN Championship, including a 7-0 win in the ASUN title match.

ON TAP

North Florida returns to take on College of Charleston in their home opener at Hodges Stadium on Sunday, Aug. 27, at 6 p.m.