Spartan Men Soccer Continues SSC Streak

TAMPA, Fla.- The University of Tampa men's soccer team defeated the Florida Tech Panthers 2-1 on Saturday night Sunshine State Conference showdown. After both teams scored on their own goals, a goal by Brian Fekete was the deciding factor for the Spartans in the latter half of the game.

"Tonight was a gutsy performance against a very good Florida Tech team," says head coach Adrian Bush. "They showed why they are number 23 in the country and I'm sure we will see them down the road."

The Spartans improve 7-3-1 on the season with a 4-2 mark in conference matchups while the Panthers drop to 5-3-2 in their 2012 campaign, 2-2-2 in SSC play.

"We have been focusing on our collective defense the past couple weeks and results are showing," says Bush. "It is important for our players to maintain their focus and commitment to hard work."

The Spartans and Panthers stayed even at zero until the 34 minute mark. A cross from Tampa's Alex Knaggs reached the foot of Florida Tech defender Francisco Ubiera, who netted the ball for a FIT own goal.

Ten minutes later, a Florida Tech free kick connected with the head of a Spartan defender. The ball ricocheted into the back of the Tampa net for the second own goal of the match, this one going in the Panther's favor.

The score remained even at one at the halftime whistle.

After a lightning delay in the 37th minute, play resumed with the score still tied at one.

The score remained tied until the 84th minute of play with a goal by Fekete from Knaggs. After a corner kick from Dominic Goncalves, Knaggs received the ball to continue the scoring play. The game concluded with 20 shots by the Spartans and six by the Panthers.

The Spartans will be facing the Rollins College Tars on Wednesday, Oct. 10 at 7:30 pm. in Winter Park, Fla.

Fans may follow University of Tampa athletics on Twitter (www.twitter.com/utspartans) and Facebook (www.facebook.com/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.