#22 Tampa Fights Past #12 Barry To Earn Spot In SSC Finals

MIAMI SHORES, Fla. - The No. 22 University of Tampa (13-6-1) men's soccer team pulled off a 2-1 victory over host and No. 12 Barry University (10-3-3) in the 2010 Sunshine State Conference Tournament.

"This was an excellent performance tonight and we are excited to be one of the teams playing Sunday for the SSC championship," says head coach Adrian Bush. "This is our fourth title game in a row, tonight's result means zero if we can't back it up with a strong performance on Sunday."

The first goal of the contest came at the 53:33 mark when Tampa's Dominic Goncalves scored on a free kick from 40 yards.

UT would later seal the victory as freshman Kevin Knowles netted his first collegiate goal with just under two minutes to play. Kemal Malcolm earned his team-leading sixth assist on the goal. Barry would answer with a Mark Kilpatrick goal at 89:15 as the Bucs were unable to mount a full comeback.

Freshman goalkeeper David Niepel started in net for the Spartans and finished with three saves in the contest. Each team registered four shots on goal, with Barry holding a 12-7 advantage on shots on goal. The game also featured 34 combined fouls, with each team being called for 17.

"Barry is a fantastic team and they will be playing next weekend when the NCAA tournament starts," says Bush.

The Spartans will next meet Florida Tech on Sunday for the SSC tournament title. The 1 p.m. game will also be played at Barry University. UT is looking for its second SSC tourney championship and first since 2007. Live stats will be available through www.tampaspartans.com.

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