No. 13 Tampa Set to Host Saint Leo in SSC Showdown
TAMPA, Fla. - The No. 13 University of Tampa women's soccer team is set to host Saint Leo University on Wednesday at 7 p.m., at Pepin Stadium. The matchup with also serve as a Sunshine State Conference game between a pair of contenders for the 2013 crown.
UT enters with a 13-1-1 overall record and picked up a pair of 1-0 SSC victories on the road last week over Nova Southeastern and Eckerd. Tampa is also 3-1-1 in a tightly-contested SSC that has four teams within a game of first place.
Sophomore Cici Gonzalez leads a potent Spartan offense that has outscored its opponents 46-7. Gonzalez has tallied 11 goals and four assists while three of her team-leading goals have gone down as game-winners. Freshman Emily Jones leads the team with eight assists, which is also good for seventh in the nation in the category.
Gabby Russo is second on the team in scoring as the junior has six goals and six assists. Freshman Chelsea Martin is the reigning SSC Offensive Player of the Week as she notched both a game-winning goal and game-winning assist last week. Martin is third on the team with five goals and five assists.
Goalkeeper Alyson Gregorowicz has turned in two consecutive shutouts as the converted defender now has a 0.69 GAA with 33 saves and five shutouts. Senior defender Shannon Walisch leads a unit that allows just over three shots on goal per game. She has also turned in five goals and three assists in 2013.
Saint Leo enters the contest with an 8-4 overall record and 3-1 SSC mark. The Lions are coming off a 5-0 victory over Florida Southern after dropping a 2-1 decision to Barry. Overall, Saint Leo has now won five of its last six games.
The Lions are led by Arielle Kabangu, who has a team-high 16 goals and three assists. Fabienne Schwenk leads Saint Leo with seven assists as goalkeeper Abby Evans sports a 1.83 GAA with 44 saves.
Tampa holds a 15-3 overall record in the all-time series and swept the Lions in a pair of 2012 meetings by a combined score of 5-0. UT has now won three straight against Saint Leo as it also topped the Lions in the 2011 SSC tournament semifinals.
Tampa head coach Gerry Lucey now needs just one win to reach 100 with the Spartans as the program's all-time winningest coach also stands at 138 overall wins.
Tickets are available at the gate for $5. Children 12-and-under will be admitted free. UT faculty, staff and students are admitted free when displaying a valid Spartan ID card.
UT will offer live stats and a webcast for the match through TampaSpartans.tv.
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