Spartans to Host First Round of SSC Tournament

TAMPA, Fla. - The University of Tampa women's soccer team finished the regular season with the fourth-best record in the Sunshine State Conference. The Spartans will host the fifth seeded Embry-Riddle Eagles on Monday evening in the SSC Quarterfinal. UT welcomed the conference-foe to Pepin Stadium on October 17  and rallied in the second half for a 2-1 victory. 

The Matchup: University of Tampa Spartans (7-5-4, 5-3-2 SSC) vs. Embry-Riddle Eagles (7-7-0, 5-5-0 SSC)

Date/Time: Monday, October 29 at 7 p.m.

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

Last Time Out: Tampa capped off the regular season on Tuesday, October 23 when they visited Saint Leo University. Emily Cady led the attack with a hat trick to give UT the decisive 3-0 result in the conference finale. Nastasia Asgedom assisted on all three goals, tallying three assists for the first time in her four-year career. The Spartans won their fifth conference game for the first time since 2015 when the team reached the NCAA South Regional Final.

About the Spartans: UT found a home-field advantage at Pepin Stadium as they compiled a six-match home unbeaten streak during the season. In the last 10 SSC Quarterfinals, Tampa is 8-2 in the opening round of the conference tournament. Cady led the offense with eight goals throughout the regular season, which ranked fifth in the Sunshine State Conference. Asgedom, a four-year letterwinner from H.B. Plant HS, tied for third in the SSC with six assists on the year. Moeko Morse registered six goals on the season, which ranked second among freshman in the SSC. Megan Bromwell started in 15 of 16 games played this season and logged two clean sheets. The sophomore transfer from Monmouth University has accumulated 47 saves while earning seven victories. 

About the Eagles: Embry-Riddle completed the regular season with a perfect 7-0 home record, however they are 0-7 away from Daytona Beach. In the regular season finale, the Eagles were defeated 2-1 by Palm Beach Atlantic despite Embry-Riddle scoring first. Eva Jonsdottir leads the team with four goals in only four starts. Annie Gelnaw has logged five assists, which leads the team, and is currently tied for sixth in the SSC. Dana Ruchti has started in net the last five matches for the Eagles and she received the loss against UT on October 17. The sophomore from New Hampshire owns a 3-3 record and has racked up 40 saves in 10 games played. 

All-Time Series: The programs have met five times as the series started with back-to-back road matchups in 1998-1999. UT took this season's conference meeting but the Eagles secured their lone victory in the series last season by a 1-0 result, via a Julia Olsson goal. The Spartans are out-scoring Embry Riddle 10-5 in the five game series. 

Tickets: General Admission ticket prices for all Tampa regular season athletic events are $5. Youth (ages 12 and under) are admitted free of charge. Students and faculty/staff are admitted free with a valid UT ID. Students will receive one free Pizza Hut slice and/or Krispy Kreme donut. 

Follow UT Athletics: @TampaSpartans on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat and YouTube. Follow www.tampastats.com for live updates.

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.