Spartans Look to Build Momentum

TAMPA, Fla. – The University of Tampa men's soccer team prepares for a late-season push as they host No. 11 Lynn University on Saturday evening. This will be the third top-15 opponent that UT has faced this season. 

The Matchup: University of Tampa Spartans (2-6-3, 2-5-0 SSC) vs. No. 11 Lynn University Fighting Knights (8-3-0, 5-2-0 SSC)

Date/Time: Saturday, October 13 at 7 p.m.

Location: Pepin Stadium | Tampa, Fla. | 417 North Boulevard, Tampa, Fla. 33606

Last Time Out: The Spartans grinded out a 3-2 victory in a double overtime thriller against Embry-Riddle on Wednesday evening. Head coach Adrian Bush became the all-time winningest coach in UT history, passing his mentor Tom Fitzgerald with 138 career wins. Juancho Fernandez logged the game-winner with 20 seconds remaining in the match, for his second goal of the evening. It was the first multi-goal performance for the junior from Spain. The extra-time victory was UT's first in six overtime matches. 

About the Spartans: Jake Richards leads the Sunshine State Conference with 54 saves in 11 games played. The junior net-minder has etched his name in the UT record books as Richards ranks fourth all-time with 18 victories, and sits in eighth place with 155 saves in 40 career appearances. Fernandez leads the team with five goals scored, but Marcel Salokat trails by one goal. The offensive pairing is responsible for 60 percent of goals scored and they've scored in the same match on three occasions. All of Tampa's matches have been decided by a single goal or less. The last game decided by two or more goals came against the University of South Florida in an August exhibition. 

About the Fighting Knights: No. 11 Lynn University is coming off a 2-0 loss to No. 22 Barry University. The Fighting Knights allowed a goal two minutes into the match and the loss ultimately ended a six-game winning streak. Lynn went nearly five games without allowing a goal, but have allowed three goals in the last 98 minutes of play. They are a perfect 5-0 on the road, excluding their neutral site matchup. Shay Brennan leads the team with four goals, which also gives him the lead with nine points. Max Herbert has four assists on the year to lead the team. Robert Bazzichetto owns a 6-3 record in net and has recorded three shutouts for the Fighting Knights. 

Series History: Lynn leads the series 23-14-4; The Spartans are 1-6-3 in the last ten meetings, but are unbeaten in the last four matchups. 

Tickets: General admission ticket prices for all Tampa regular season athletic events are $5. Youth (ages 12 and under) are admitted free of charge. UT students and faculty/staff are admitted free with a valid Spartan ID.

Follow UT Athletics: @TampaSpartans on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat and YouTube.

Text Alerts: UT also offers a free text messaging service that sends text alerts following all Spartan events. To sign up, please register at www.tampaspartans.com.

Front Row: Download the official app of UT Athletics on the Apple or Android store. Look for Tampa Spartans Front Row app to receive notifications from your favorite Spartan teams. The app is completely free.