Tampa Falls to Montevallo on Penalty Kicks

PENSACOLA, Fla. - The University of Tampa men's soccer team (12-3-1) lost to Montevallo (14-3-2) in a penalty kick shootout on Sunday, concluding its run at a national championship in the South Regional final. The Falcons outscored the Spartans 6-5 on penalty kicks after scoring a late goal to force extra time.

Ricardo Cardoso opened the scoring in the 10th minute with his 12th goal of the season, giving the Spartans the early 1-0 lead after a cross from Bobby Durham. The goal moves Cardoso into seventh all-time in Tampa history in his final match as a Spartan.

Tampa held the slim 1-0 advantage into the 83rd minute before Milan Pualic connected on his only shot of the match to put the Falcons back on terms. The two sides headed into extra time tied at one, with both teams unable to find the back of the net in the 20 minutes of overtime play.

Montevallo started off strong in the shootout, converting two of its first three attempts to take a 2-1 lead on the Spartans. Tampa came from behind to force sudden death with three straight conversions, only to lose on a conversion by Montevallo's Griff Gowers following a Tampa miss.

"Montevallo disrupted our rhythm," said Coach Adrian Bush. "They were the hungrier team, and that was the deciding factor."

Ryan Thompson nearly doubled his career-high in saves in the match, allowing one goal and making 13 saves against 27 shots by the Falcons. The Spartans were outshot 27-14 in the match, and trailed 8-6 on corner kicks.

"Soccer is a game of breaks," said Coach Bush. "Both keepers were phenomenal. However, when it comes down to penalty kicks, it is anyone's game. We have been practicing penalty kicks for the last two weeks, but even the best players in the world miss penalty kicks."

Cardoso ends his career as a Spartan with 26 goals, seven assists, and 59 points in 35 matches. With his 12 goals this season, the senior forward claims the team-lead for the second time in his two seasons at Tampa. Fellow forward Clevon George concludes his career at Tampa with 15 goals, six assists, and 36 points, finishing second to Cardoso in goals and points in each of the last two seasons.

Kevin Sierra finished his four-year career at UT with a career-high five goals, four assists, and 14 points in his senior season. The Spartans will also miss the contributions of seniors Zach Barber and Devin Shaw, both on the pitch and in the locker room.

Tampa concludes the season with an overall record of 13-5-1, a vast improvement from a season ago. The Spartans return three of their top ten scorers next year, as well as their starting back line. The 2008 Spartans will have a whole new look up front, with only Pascal Milien returning to lead the Spartan attack.