#23 Spartans Blank SSC Rival Saint Leo
SAINT LEO, Fla. - The 23rd-ranked University of Tampa (5-3) women's soccer team opened Sunshine State Conference play with a 3-0 road victory over Saint Leo University (6-2).
The lone goal of the first half came via freshman Samantha Kay. Her second goal of the season was assisted by fellow freshman Brittan Spence in the 15th minute.
UT tacked on a pair of goals in the second half, beginning with a Shelby Kuni score at 45:40 from teammates Spence and Courtney Evans. Kay then gave Tampa a 3-0 lead in the 70th minute as Evans tallied her second assist of the contest.
Tampa's Kendall Bourdon registered a hard-earned shutout, which was the first of the freshman's career. Bourdon completed the match with five saves, facing 12 shots.
The Spartans had a 6-5 shot on goal advantage, though SLU outshot UT 12-10. The Spartans did have eight corner kicks compared to four by the Lions.
"This was an excellent performance by a focused and energetic team," says head coach Gerry Lucey. "We went about our business in the right frame of mind and tried to play good soccer. After a couple of disappointing results in the last few weeks to highly ranked teams in which we felt we should have won, this gives us more belief that our preparation playing against top teams has benefited the team. As enjoyable as the win was, the team needs to remain hungry and defend our SSC titles. We still have a long way to go before reaching our goals."
Tampa returns to action on Monday when it hosts Nova Southeastern in a SSC battle. Game time is 6 p.m., at Pepin Stadium. UT will offer live stats for the match through www.tampaspartans.com. Fans may also sign up for eScores, which is a free text messaging system that provides scores.