Spartan Advance To SSC Championship

MIAMI SHORES, Fla – The University of Tampa women's soccer team traveled to Barry University on Friday for the Semifinal of the Sunshine State Conference Tournament. They matched up against the 2nd seed Nova Southeastern University Sharks. After the final whistle, the Spartans amd Sharks were deadlocked but UT came out on top advancing to the final 5-4 on penalty kicks.

The end of the first half saw both sides deadlocked at zero with it being a back and forth battle and both sides having periods of dominating possession. However, neither side could get much going in the final third as the keepers were rarely called into action. The Spartans escaped a close call near the end of the half as they cleared the ball off a corner kick.

The second half started off quickly as just three mins in, Nova striker Sierra Lelii found herself wide open but her shot was stopped easily by UT keeper Caroline Frykgard. Despite Nova doing most of the attacking,Cici Gonzalez was able to take advantage of a loose ball in the box to put the Spartans up 1-0 at the 60th min mark. After the goal, the Spartans did a solid job at sustaining the pressure from the Sharks as they looked for the tie. At the 75 min mark, UT had a scare as the ball bounced around off a corner kick before being cleared and the follow-up shot being caught by Frykgard without any difficulty.

The defense could only do so much though as in the 78 min mark, Nova Southeastern midfielder Julia Nytorp was able to get to yet another ball in the box and put it in the back of the net. The final 10 mins of the second half were full of back and forth action as both sides looked for the winner in regulation. With just over 5 mins to go, Frykgard was called into action on a hard shot by Lelii as the defense broke down and let her have a clear view. The second half ended tied 1-1

The beginning of extra time brought with it rain as the showers began right as play restarted. Not long into extra time the Spartans had a chance to end the game quickly, but the shot was too weak and easily stopped. Soon after, Frykgard was once again called into action as she had to deflect a hard shot over her goal for a corner that the defense managed to cover. Gabby Scirica had a solid shot amidst the pouring rain as she tried to sneak one past the keeper with 4 mins left in the first period of extra time. The Spartans were saved by the crossbar as a shot by Nova attacker Nytorp bounced off with 2:30 left as the rain intensified.

The second set of extra time was much less active as tired legs and a very wet field took the toll on the players from both sides. A back and forth period saw both sides exchange chances as both teams tried to find a winner but without leaving themselves open for a counter. With just under 2:30 left, Lauren Moorehad a very good chance to score the winner but saw her deflected shot skip past the edge of the post. A tiring set of extra time saw no goals scored as the game went on to penalty kicks.

In penalty kicks, the Spartans were victorious 5-4 in penalty kicks. Frykgard made a pair of key saves on the third and sixth round of penalty kicks that ended up being the difference.

Following the win, UT advances to 11-3-5 on the season and moves on to the tournament final where they will face off against the winner of the second semifinal to be played between Barry University and Florida Tech. The match will take place on Sunday at 1 pm on the campus of Barry University in Miami Shores, Fla.

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