Tampa Set to Host Eckerd
TAMPA, Fla. – The University of Tampa men's soccer team will be in action at home as they welcome in the Eckerd College Tritons.
The Matchup: University of Tampa Spartans (3-2, 1-0 SSC) vs. Eckerd College Tritons (4-2, 0-1 SSC)
Date/Time: Wednesday at 7:00 p.m.
Location: Pepin Stadium || Tampa, Fla. || 417 North Boulevard, Tampa, Fla. 33606
About the Spartans: Tampa is coming off two-straight one-goal victories over Thomas (Ga.) on Tuesday and Barry on Saturday. Tuesday's match was in front of the home crowd for the Spartans who willed their way to a 4-3 win in a 2OT thriller versus the Night Hawks. Tampa then defeated last years' DII National Champions, Barry Buccaneers 2-1 in Miami Shores. Rojay Smith scored the game-winner for the Spartans in the 67th minute. The win was the first for the Spartans away in hostile territory. Smith leads the way for the Spartans having scored or assisted in 4 of 5 contests. Smith was also named Sunshine State Conference Offensive Player of the Week for his performances against Thomas and Barry. Smith and Omar Thali have been setting the pace for the Spartans as they have nine and eight points respectively on the season. This ranks them fourth and fifth in total points in the Sunshine State Conference. Thali also ranks third in the conference with four goals and Smith is seventh in the conference with three assists.
About the Tritons: Eckerd started the season with six consecutive home games and currently have .667 win percentage. Eckerd has been superb defensively this season having allowed only 5 goals. The Tritons are coming off a narrow 2-1 defeat against the #10 nationally ranked Lynn Fighting Knights. Agustin Pertusso scored the only goal for Eckerd in the contest. The Uruguayan Junior leads the Tritons attack with four goals on the season including a brace versus Johnson and Wales University (North Miami). Pertusso is one-goal from matching his 2018 season total. Eckerd has only allowed opponents to have 4.16 shots on goal per game. One thing to note: bookings have been an issue for the Triton's as they have had 17 bookings (14 yellows and 3 reds) and their opponents have had 21 bookings (20 yellows and 1 red) in 6 games leading to an average of 6 plus bookings per game.
All-Time Series: Tampa owns a commanding 36-10 record all-time against the Tritons with no ties. The series is 6-4 Tampa in the last 10 meetings. Last time the two squads faced Tampa won 2-1 on September 19, 2018, in St. Petersburg.
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.
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