Spartans Keep Grip on No. 4 Spot in Women’s Soccer
KANSAS CITY, Kan. - The University of Tampa women's soccer is No. 4 for the second straight week in the latest NSCAA/Continental Tire NCAA Division II poll.
Tampa is now 9-0 on the season and is in its second consecutive week at the position after previously being No. 5. UT opened the season at No. 8 in the preseason poll. UT has now been ranked all five weeks this season, each in the top-10 and three weeks in the national top-five.
UT is the lone SSC school in the top-25. Regional foe West Florida sits at No. 12 as it looks to defend its national championship crown. The Gulf South Conference also has Valdosta State listed at No. 21. Fellow SSC opponent Rollins is listed as receiving votes.
Last week, Tampa picked up a pair of shutout victories, topping Palm Beach Atlantic and Florida Southern by respective scores of 5-0 and 1-0. UT has now held its opponents without a goal in three straight matches and eight of nine on the season.
Offensively, reigning SSC Offensive Player of the Week Cici Gonzalez leads all Spartans with eight goal and four assists. The sophomore ranks third in the nation in goals and second in points. She is also 18th in goals per game and 14th in points per game.
Emily Jones leads all Spartans with seven assists, which ranks third in the nation as she also places sixth in assists per game. Jenny Karl and Jess Frank each have five assists, ranking fifth nationally as the duo is ninth in assists per game. Gabby Russo also ranks eighth with 17 points.
Tampa's defense has registered eight shutouts and outscored its opponents 39-2 through nine games. Alyson Gregorowicz has stepped in for Kori Butterfield and now owns a 0.51 GAA with two shutouts. The converted senior defender also has 13 saves to lead all Spartans.
As a team, UT ranks first in the nation in scoring offense (4.33) and assists (5.00). The Spartans are also fourth in shutout percentage (.889), sixth in GAA (0.221) and 10th in save percentage (0.913).
UT has now been ranked for 12 consecutive weeks. Additionally, UT has earned a mention in the poll in a total of 12 seasons, including 11 straight. Head coach Gerry Lucey is also on the verge of a personal milestone as he has 95 career wins at UT. He is already the all-time winningest coach in program history.
The Spartans host Eckerd College on Wednesday at 7 p.m., at Pepin Stadium. The Tritons sport an overall record of 5-2 and most recently fell to Saint Leo by a score of 5-0. Tampa is 14-3 in the all-time series and came away with a 1-0 victory last season in Tampa.
Live stats and a video broadcast will be available through TampaSpartans.tv.