Spartans Win Third Consecutive Regular Season Conference Title

MELBOURNE, Fla. - The 22nd-ranked University of Tampa women's soccer team (14-2-2, 6-1-1) captured its third consecutive regular season Sunshine State Conference title with a 1-1 tie against Florida Tech (9-5-2, 2-4-2).

Marissa Bernard put the Spartans up 1-0 in the 22nd minute after Nicole Murphy fed a through ball to Bernard, putting the senior forward in position to put the ball past the Panthers keeper.

The Spartan defense seemed to have control of the game before giving way to a Teresa Brantley unassisted goal in the 86th minute to even the score at 1-1.

The Spartans outshot the Panthers 21-14 and had an 8-2 advantage on corner kicks.

Goalkeeper Shannon Aitken made five saves while facing 14 shots in 110 minutes of action for the Spartans. Aitken now stands at 174 saves in her career, needing five to become Tampa's all-time leader in that category.

The Spartans are set to host the conference tournament November 2-4 at Pepin Stadium. Bracket pairings and times are yet to be determined.