Men's Soccer Aims for League Points Against FGCU

Saturday, September 30

Jacksonville, Fla.

7 p.m.

University of North Florida

Florida Gulf Coast

9/29/2023 12:00:00 PM | Men's Soccer

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JACKSONVILLE, Fla. - North Florida men's soccer added a point to its conference record after a draw against JU, but Saturday will look for its first win in ASUN play with an in-state battle against Florida Gulf Coast on Saturday, Sept. 30. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. at Hodges Stadium.

WHAT TO KNOW

Luc Granitur added another goal to his score total to double his team lead at four with seven shots on goal.
Joaquin Acuna also reached three assists on the season to share the lead with Nick Kishchenko.
Acuna continues to be first in the ASUN, as well as top 20 in the nation, for game-winning goals (2), while Granitur sneaks into the top 75 for goals per game (0.50).
Bendeguz Burka, Herbie Steigelman and Jaylen Yearwood are the only players on the squad to start all nine games thus far.
Burka and Steigelman will appear in its 60th game together with UNF if they both find the field on Saturday evening.
This is the Ospreys' seventh game over its past nine in the city of Jacksonville with one more on deck next weekend against Lipscomb.
Micah Gun continues to receive time at goalkeeper, as he now leads the team in 18 saves and a 0.81 GAA in four consecutive starts.
UNF has combined for the best goalkeeping in the conference, as they rank first in save percentage (0.778), and team goals against average (1.111) with both being top 60 in the nation.

SCOUTING THE OPPONENT

FGCU has been solid throughout its 2023 season with a 2-2-3 record, including a win and a draw so far in conference play. This will be its third consecutive in-state conference matchup after playing to a 2-2 draw at Jacksonville and beating Stetson at home, 4-0.

This match will start the first of three road matches of the next four games, as they are set to travel to North Florida, North Carolina and Lipscomb over the next two weeks. The Eagles have not won a game on the road yet this season with a loss to Kentucky and a draw to Northern Kentucky to go along with the draw to JU.

Luis Lugo has top spot for most goals scored on the team with three total, including two in the ASUN opener against Jacksonville. Pau Santanach is the lone Eagle with multiple assists, while Wyatt Kistner leads the team in minutes played and saves with 11 total.

FGCU brings a few players that have seen time at Hodges, as Ale Rodriguez Lopez and Luke Barforosh will both return to Jacksonville after playing for the Ospreys last season. Rodriguez Lopez joins Lugo with multiple goals this year, while Barforosh sits right behind Kistner as the leader in minutes played by a position player.

SERIES HISTORY

- UNF is 2-14-6 all-time against Florida Gulf Coast with a 0-6-3 record against the Eagles at home.
- The Ospreys forced a scoreless draw against FGCU in last season's regular season match on neutral grounds, but lost to the Eagles in the quarterfinals of the ASUN postseason.
- They will be looking for its first win over FGCU since 2016 and their first-ever win against the Eagles at home.
- A total of 12 Osprey players saw time against the Eagles in both matches in 2023, including six players that started in both games.