Spartans Power Past Mavericks

TAMPA, Fla. – No. 4 University of Tampa powered past No. 10 Colorado Mesa University on Sunday afternoon, earning a 12–6 victory at Naimoli Stadium. The Spartans controlled the pace throughout the contest and improved to 9-1 on the season with the ranked win.

How It Happened

Colorado Mesa struck first midway through the opening quarter when Dillon Pless finished a feed from Erich Petersen to take a 1-0 lead. Tampa responded midway through the period as Harry Boland evened the score with an unassisted goal. The Spartans then took control late in the frame. Tommy Ortega converted a pass from Aaron Cho to give Tampa its first lead, and with just five seconds remaining in the quarter, Rex Kesselring scored off a Noah Driggs assist to make it 3-1 after one.

The Mavericks cut the deficit early in the second quarter on a Connor Jensen goal, but Tampa quickly regained momentum. Justin Conly answered with an unassisted strike before Cho extended the lead with a goal assisted by Conly. Kyle White added another unassisted tally late in the quarter as the Spartans carried a 6-2 advantage into halftime.

Colorado Mesa opened the second half with a goal from Jack Cooper to narrow the gap to three, but Tampa maintained control. Eric Burbank found the back of the net on a pass from Mitch Cummings to restore the four-goal margin. After the Mavericks scored late in the quarter, the Spartans responded in the final seconds with back-to-back goals. Boland scored with 13 seconds remaining before Driggs finished a feed from Ortega just nine seconds later, giving Tampa a commanding 9-4 lead heading into the fourth.

Colorado Mesa attempted to rally early in the final period with consecutive goals from Cooper and Caleb Schreiber to make it 9-6. Tampa quickly shut down the comeback attempt as Grant Green scored off an Ortega assist less than a minute later. Jackson Bashaw then scored twice in the quarter, first on a pass from Cho and later finishing a feed from Conly, sealing the 12-6 Spartans victory.

Spartan Performances

• Bashaw and Boland led Tampa with two goals each, while Cho contributed a goal and two assists. Ortega and Conly each recorded three-point performances with one goal and two assists apiece.
• Additional goals came from Kesselring, White, Burbank, Green, and Driggs as the Spartans produced a balanced offensive effort.
• At the faceoff X, Tampa controlled possession, winning 14 of 22 draws behind MP Thomas (8-14) and Ryan Thomas (6-8).
• The Spartans also dominated the ground ball battle, collecting 33 compared to Colorado Mesa's 13.
• Defensively, Tampa limited the Mavericks to just 24 total shots and held them scoreless on three man-up opportunities.
• Westin Schmidt anchored the defense in goal, recording nine saves in the win.

Up Next

Tampa will look to continue its strong start to the season as the Spartans prepare for their next Sunshine State Conference matchup versus Florida Southern at home on March 21 at 8:00 p.m.