Spartans Get Best of Florida Tech

MELBOURNE, Fla. - The University of Tampa men's soccer team played to a crucial Sunshine State Conference victory over No. 22 Florida Tech by a 3-1 score.

INSIDE THE MATCHUP:
Final: Tampa 3, No. 22 Florida Tech 1
Records: Tampa (9-3-2, 4-3-1 SSC), Florida Tech (8-3-1, 5-3 SSC)
Location: Rick Stottler Field | Melbourne, Fla.
All-time Series: Tampa extends its advantage in the all-time series by a mark of 33-10-5.
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HOW IT HAPPENED:
1st Half | Senior Mike Ciluffo scored his second goal of the season to put Tampa on the board. The goal came in the 13th minute as Ciluffo went 1-on-1 with the FIT keeper and came away victorious. Tampa outshot its opponent 8-4 in the frame.

2nd Half | It did not take long for the Spartans to extend the lead as just over two minutes into the second half senior Jake Winship scored with Bay Downing assisting on the goal. Following a penalty kick goal for the Panthers in the 79th minute that cut the lead in half, Downing would seal the win for the visitors with a goal in the 89th minute with Jason Collister being credited with the assist.

INSIDE THE STATS:
• The Panthers held a 20-13 edge in shots and finished with 11 shots on goal to UT's six.

• A total of seven Spartans tallied a shot, with Downing and Fredinho Mompremier leading the way with three apiece.

• Richard Trench earned the start in goal and made the most of it, finishing with a career-high 10 saves.

• FIT took seven corner kicks, as UT had six. Despite Tampa having 17 fouls to Florida Tech's eight, FIT was issued five of the match's six yellow cards.

BEYOND THE BOXSCORE:
• After Jake Richards started the previous five matches, Trench got the call on Saturday and saved 10 shots. That effort ranks ninth on the UT single-game list and most since Ryan Thompson saved 15 shots in 2008.

• UT notched its second straight win over FIT after defeating the Panthers 2-1 on Senior Day at Pepin Stadium last year.

• In the initial NCAA South Region rankings, Tampa was listed in a fourth-place tie with Mississippi College. The top four teams from the South are selected for postseason play.

UP NEXT:
Tampa returns home for its final regular-season match on Wednesday as it hosts nationally-ranked and SSC frontrunner Palm Beach Atlantic. The game will start at 7 p.m., with the Spartan seniors being honored prior to the game.

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