Spartans Focusing on No. 5 Palm Beach Atlantic
The University of Tampa prepares for a top five opponent in the Sailfish.
TAMPA, Fla. – The University of Tampa men's soccer team welcomes No. 5 Palm Beach Atlantic to Pepin Stadium on Saturday night at 7 p.m. This will be the first ranked opponent for the Spartans this season. UT battled against five ranked opponents (2-1-2) in last year's campaign, including a double-overtime 1-1 draw against PBA. With a victory, head coach Adrian Bush would become the all-time winningest coach in Spartans history.
The Match: University of Tampa Spartans (1-2-3, 1-1 SSC) vs. No. 5 Palm Beach Atlantic Sailfish (7-0-0, 2-0 SSC)
Date/Time: Saturday, September 22 at 7 p.m.
Location: Pepin Stadium | Tampa, Fla. | 417 North Boulevard, Tampa, Fla. 33606
Last Time Out: Tampa started with a spark, scoring two goals in the first ten minutes against Eckerd College, resulting in a 2-1 conference win. Marcel Salokat logged the first goal of the match in the eighth minute as Juancho Fernandez capped off the scoring in the 10th minute. Jake Richards racked up six saves against the Tritons attack. Bush tied Tom Fitzgerald as the all-time winningest coach (137) in UT history.
About the Spartans: UT competed in a tough non-conference schedule which included three double-overtime draws. After dropping the SSC opener to Nova Southeastern 1-0, Tampa bounced back on the road against Eckerd with 2-1 victory. The Spartans are averaging 16.7 shots per game, however have been held to under ten shots in the last two games. Salokat and Fernandez lead the team with two goals apiece, as well as two assists each. Till Neumann has logged one goal and one assist, and is second on the team with ten shots on goal. Richards has racked up 30 saves, and grabbed a clean sheet against West Florida in a 0-0 tie.
About the Sailfish: No. 5 PBA have out-scored opponents 23-3, and have logged five shutouts on the season. In their last matchup, Marc Hebbeker netted a goal in the 87th minute to grab a 1-0 victory over Saint Leo. Hebbeker is tied for the team lead in goals scored (4) with Claudio Rivadeneira. The Sailfish have a committee at goal-keeper as Elliott Barker has started in all seven matches, however Patrick Seuffert has appeared in two games and registered the win against Saint Leo. Barker holds a 6-0 record, and has allowed three goals while accummulating 13 saves.
Series History: UT holds a commanding lead over PBA in 17 meetings, as the Spartans have won 11 matches while dropping five. Last year's meeting ended in a 1-1 draw, which was the first tie in series history. In the 2017 matchup, Richards recorded five saves as Tampa's starting goal-keeper against the ninth-ranked Sailfish.
Tickets: General Admission ticket prices for all Tampa regular season athletic events are $5 for adults and $3 for Seniors, Military and visiting students. Youth (ages 12 and under) are admitted free of charge.
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