Spartans Fall to Sharks in the SSC Championship

TAMPA, Fla. – The University of Tampa men's soccer team resisted being shut out by Nova Southeastern University with a penalty kick goal in the 2021 Sunshine State Conference Tournament championship match.. 

INSIDE THE MATCHUP:

Final Score: Nova Southeastern Sharks 4, Tampa Spartans 1

Record: Tampa (13-4), Nova Southeastern (13-3-2)

Location: Pepin Stadium || Tampa, Fla.

All-time series: In the postseason, Nova Southeastern and Tampa are now tied 2-2. UT continues to hold a commanding lead in the series, with an 18-8-5 series lead. 

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HOW IT HAPPENED:

FIRST HALF: Just three minutes in and the first goal of the match was made by Nova. Tampa's offense adamantly tried to respond, the shots by Till Neumann and Omar Thali blocked by Nova's defense. The Sharks advanced their lead with another goal (18"). Thali had another shot on goal but was denied by the keeper (30"). The match grew intense as a series of yellow cards were given out after an altercation between both teams (38"). Nova would score one more goal in the first half (43"). The half ended 3-0, Nova with the lead. 

SECOND HALF: The Sharks attack did not let up, scoring another goal to start the half (48"). Tampa's offense had a number of great plays but were simply unlucky. Agustin Baroffio (49"), Amgad Salah (53"), and Ornaldo Zeqiri (65") each had a shot on goal, each saved by the Shark's keeper. The Tampa defense successfully held Nova from scoring any more in the half, and more shots were taken by Juancho Fernandez (74")(83"), Neumann (77")(84"), Max Brennan (79") and Julius Becker (83"). Adam Forster did his part with a charging save (88") that sent the Spartans downfield.  Then with just 2 minutes left, Neumann was fouled inside the goal box after a shot on goal, the Spartans received a penalty kick. Fernandez took the shot and put the Spartans on the board. The match ended 4-1. 

INSIDE THE STATS:

• There were a total of 6 yellow cards given out during the entirety of the match. 

• The Spartans outshot the Sharks 18-10 and 10-5 for shots on goal. 

• Three Spartans played for the full 90 minutes, including Forster, Fernandez, and Cody Wells

ALL-TOURNAMENT TEAM:

• Matty Cornish, Nova Southeastern (Most Outstanding Player)
• Omar Thali, Tampa
• Aleks Berg, Nova Southeastern
• Juancho Fernandez, Tampa
• Farid Sar-Sar, Nova Southeastern
• Agustin Baroffio, Tampa
• Henrik Berg, Nova Southeastern
• Floris Van Nijnanten, Nova Southeastern
• Albertop Ciroi, Nova Southeastern
• Guilermo Falo, Palm Beach Atlantic
• Jordi Ramon, Barry

UP NEXT: The Spartans will have a chance to compete in the NCAA Division II Men's Soccer as the No. 4 seed in Super Region 2 and compete against No.5 Auburn-Montgomery on Sunday Nov. 21 at 2 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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