Spartans Advance To SSC Semi-final On PKs

TAMPA, Fla - The University of Tampa women's soccer team hosted the Saint Leo University Lions Tuesday night for the Quarterfinal of Sunshine State Conference tournament. After the final whistle, the Spartans came out on top after advancing 5-4 on penalty kicks.

The first half of play ended in a 0-0 deadlock, with Saint Leo leading the way firing off nine shots playing four on net. Tampa registered two on goal but failed to challenge the Lions goalkeeper.

Second half action was action packed as SLU got on the board first with a PK that was finished by Katie Waddell at the 56-minute mark. The Spartans would answer right back with a goal of their own as Nastasia Asgedom fired home the equalizer at the 64-minute mark off a Cici Gonzalez pass. Neither side could find the back of the net to put their side up in regulation.

Both sides battled out 20 minutes of overtime, with the match ending in a draw, but took the game to a PK shootout to decide on who would advance in the tournament. Following the Shootout, Tampa would advance 5-4.

Following the victory, UT advances to 11-3-4 on the season and advances to the SSC semi-final squaring off against the winner of the other quarterfinal fixture between Florida Tech and Rollins. The Spartans will travel to Miami Shores, Fla for the semi-final match.

Fans may follow University of Tampa athletics on Twitter (www.twitter.com/tampaspartans), Facebook (www.facebook.com/tampaspartans), YouTube (youtube.com/utathletics) and Instagram (tampaspartans). UT also offers blast, a free text messaging service that sends text alerts following all Spartan events. To sign up, please register at www.tampaspartans.com.