Spartans Bite Back at Sharks on Senior Day
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. - The University of Tampa (10-4-2, 4-2-1) women's soccer team played spoilers on senior day for Nova Southeastern University (9-4-2, 3-3-2), topping the Sharks by a 2-0 tally.
The victory marked the fourth consecutive for UT, who is now unbeaten in five straight matches. The Spartans cap off a week where it shut out two Sunshine State Conference opponents, both occurring on the road within a three-day span.
"Today was a total team performance from the keeper to the front line," says head coach Gerry Lucey. "I was very impressed with our desire to play good soccer against a quality team like Nova. We kept possession well and built some good scoring opportunities. We created space and were unlucky not to score another couple. Our subs made an impact coming off the bench and helped us get though a hot afternoon in Fort Lauderdale."
Both Spartan goals came in the first half, which was enough for a stellar UT defense that held the Sharks without a shot on goal in 90 minutes of play. Senior Charlotte White led a defensive unit that held Nova to just four shots.
Freshman Gabby Russo's 20th minute score went down as the game-winner as a 40th minute Nicole Munnelly goal was more than enough for UT. Senior Marta Bertsos was credited with both assists. Russo finished with two shots, both being on goal.
UT finished with seven shots, including four on goal. Freshman goalkeeper Emelie Karstrom notched her second straight shutout, and sixth of her sophomore season.
"We have a tough game coming up this Thursday against an unbeaten St. Leo team," comments Lucey. "If we apply ourselves correctly we hope to get another win heading into the conference playoffs and then towards the NCAA tournament."
Tampa will conclude its regular season on Thursday against SSC frontrunner St. Leo University at 7 p.m. The match will also represent senior day for the Spartans as its six seniors will be honored prior to the game. Live stats and a webcast will be available through www.tampaspartans.tv.
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