No.11 Spartans Triumph Over Tritons

TAMPA, Fla.- The No. 11 University of Tampa men's soccer team (4-1-2) defeated Eckerd College (2-4-2) by a score of 5-1 Tuesday night at Pepin Stadium.

Strong defense and a physical battle held both the Spartans and Tritons scoreless in the first half. Tampa registered the lone shot on goal with five minutes to play from forward Tyler Blackwood. The Spartans outshot the Tritons nine to three in the first half.

The offensive struggle concluded within minutes of the second half as the Spartans exploded with five goals. Blackwood started the Spartans scoring by tallying back-to-back goals: the first on a penalty kick and the second off a cross from Jesus Gonzalez.

Jason Collister added the Spartans third goal off tight passes from both John Bentham and Blackwood who registered the assists. Continuing the offensive momentum, Gonzalez and Kevin Knowles added goals minutes later off assists from Alex Knaggs. Knowles finalized the Tampa score at five with five minutes left to play.

The Tritons hard fought efforts were rewarded when Daniel Lopez scored on a penalty kick in final minutes of the game to put the team on the board.

Keeper David Niepel grabbed five saves while Eckerd's goalie Toni Virtanen snagged six saves throughout the contest.

Tampa returns to action on Friday, October 4 at 7 p.m. to play Rollins College in Winter Park, Fla. Live stats and a webcast will be available through TampaSpartans.tv.

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