Tampa Falls Short In Region Contest

PENSACOLA, Fla. - The Tampa Spartans men's soccer team made the second stop of their four-game road trip on Saturday night taking on the West Florida Argonauts. After the final whistle had sounded at UWF Soccer Complex, UT just fell short dropping the contest 2-1 .

Tampa controlled the possession much of the first half and looked to make the most their opportunities early on. The Spartans did just that after Nikolai Hammer shed his defender and fired home a shot in the bottom right corner to give his squad an early 1-0 lead at the four-minute mark. UT was very proficient placing four of their five first-half shots on net. The combination of efficient shooting and possession control earned them a 1-0 lead heading into the half.

The Spartans came out looking flat in the second half which, proved ultimately to be the difference after conceding two goals in the first 10 minutes of the second half. UWF's Kameron Bethell put away a goal at the 48-minute mark to bring the Argonauts level. Several moments later at the 57-minute mark Felipe Oliveira would put West Florida in the lead for what would eventually be the game-winner.

Tampa would continue their up-tempo pace to create as many opportunities looking to notch the game winner and almost did on several occasions following several key set piece opportunities, as well as having a late equalizer waived off.

When asked about the team's performance Coach Adrian Bush said, "I felt we had some great moments in this match against a very tough region opponent."

On how the team faced adversity of being down on the road Bush said, " I am proud of the fight our players showed in the final 12 minutes. This one was tough especially having an equalizer waved off in the final moments." Bush went on to say "we must grow from these experiences moving forward".

The Spartans move on to the next stop of their road trip as they travel to Dahlonega, Ga. to take on North Georgia September 10. Kickoff is set for 6 p.m. ET live stats, and video coverage will be available for fans.

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