Fernandez Last Second Goal Secures the Win for the Spartans

TAMPA, Fla. – The Spartans narrowly defeated the Lions with a single goal in the last second of the first half.

INSIDE THE MATCHUP:

Final Score: #16 Tampa 1, Saint Leo 0

Record: Tampa (10-2, 7-1 SSC) , Saint Leo (3-9-2, 1-5-1 SSC)

Location: Pepin Stadium || Tampa, Fla.

All-time series: The Spartan men lead the series against the Lions, 38-13.

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HOW IT HAPPENED:

FIRST HALF: The first shot on goal by Travis Foster (6') was saved by the goalie. Adam Forster recorded two saves, the first in the center of the net and the second a diving block to the right (30'). After a few uneventful minutes the last 30 seconds were a whirlwind. After making their way down the field the Spartan attack handed the ball off to Juancho Fernandez who battled his way through St. Leo's defense. With one second left, he shot across the net where the ball ricocheted off the right pole into the left corner. The half ended 1-0. 

SECOND HALF: Working to protect the Spartan lead, Forster logged another save (48').  After a foul was committed against Fernandez the Lions received a yellow card the Spartans got a free kick (53'). A few minutes later Omar Thali had a shot on goal (56'). A frenzied attempt by the Lions to score provided Forster with another save (74'). Try as they could, the Lions were unable to respond to the Spartans' goal, giving Tampa the victory. 

INSIDE THE STATS:

• Forster had a total of four saves putting him at 31 for the season

• The Lions outshot the Spartans in both halves; 13-8

• Thali is now at 5 assists for the season, a career-high.

• The Spartans are now in first place of the Sunshine State Conference

UP NEXT: The Spartans will travel to Winter Park to take on Rollins College on Saturday, October 23 at 6 p.m.

GAMEDAY MULTIMEDIA: Fans may watch all home games and Sunshine State Conference contests on TampaSpartans.tv. Live stats are also available through TampaStats.com.

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