No. 20 Tampa Holds On For Tie at Clayton State

Box score

MORROW, Ga. - The No. 20 University of Tampa (0-0-1) men's soccer team played 110 minutes in its 2013 opener and came away with a 2-2 tie against Clayton State University (0-0-1) in a regional showdown.

"When forced to play down a player, it is never easy, especially when it is against a team like Clayton State," says head coach Adrian Bush. "We had to do that tonight for 30 minutes and I'm so proud of how our guys responded tonight."

It took just 12-seconds for UT All-American and Sunshine State Conference Player of the Year Tyler Blackwood to net his first goal of 2013. The junior forward secured the first Spartan score on a penalty shot.

The Lakers would even the score at 1-1 with a 37th minute goal from Nikola Gazibara, sending the contest to the half with a tie.

The Spartans would regain the lead on a 55th minute goal from Kody Thomas, with Blackwood earning the assist on the cross. Clayton State would need just over a minute for Alhagi Toure to connect on the equalizer, knotting the contest at 2-2.

Playing a man down, UT and goalkeeper David Niepel held the Lakers scoreless in both overtime periods as the Spartans were outshot 5-0 in overtime.

"We will build from this game and our focus is now on Coker, who is a defending conference champion," states Bush.

Niepel finished with six saves as the Spartans were also credited with seven shots on goal compared to eight by Clayton State.

Blackwood led all Spartans with five shots, with four on target. Dorado Phipps added a pair of shots while Thomas, Alex Knaggs and Daniel Barboto each had a shot.

The Spartans return to action on Saturday in a neutral site contest against Coker College. The 7:30 p.m., match will also be played on the campus of Clayton State. Live stats will be available through TampaSpartans.com.

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