The University of North Florida men’s soccer program faced off against the Florida Atlantic University Owls Tuesday morning, with a second-half goal from each team resulting in a 1-1 draw.
This game was set to be played on Monday evening at 6 p.m., but continued weather delays caused the contest to be postponed for an early morning kickoff at 9:30 a.m. the following day.
Florida Atlantic gained most of the momentum in the first half, and the Owls put up an astounding eight shots in the period. However, senior goalkeeper Micah Gun was all over it, grabbing two saves in the first 45 minutes of play, leading to a 0-0 stalemate at halftime.
Things began to heat up for the Ospreys offensively in the second half of play, as redshirt senior defender Ethan Ash scored a goal in just five minutes post-halftime.
It didn’t take long for Florida Atlantic to catch up. Just over six minutes later, the Owls responded with a goal of their own, courtesy of St. Leo University transfer Noah Kvifte.
The game continued in a back-and-forth defensively dominant contest for the rest of the second half, leading to the 1-1 draw as a result, despite two shots being attempted by the Ospreys following the corresponding goal.
“I think that we created some chances, but so did FAU,” Head Coach Derek Marinatos said. “My disappointment actually is with the goals, we had to sit in and drop it off and that’s where we got off our game that we were playing.”
When asked if there was an expectation for more offensive output in this game, Marinatos said he believed that losing focus on possessions is what led to a lower score, as well as pointing out the hot weather and how a variety of players were rotated throughout.
“I think when we were patient with the ball and didn’t turn it over, we were able to break them down, get into the pocket, create open lanes wide, and that’s what led to the goal,” he said.
North Florida now sits at a 2-1-3 record as they have nine games remaining in the 2023 season, with eight contests being in-conference rivals.
The Ospreys will return to the Nest this weekend against yet another in-state opponent when they face off against the Stetson University Hatters on Saturday evening. It will be the first ASUN matchup of the season. Kickoff is expected to ensue at 7 p.m.
More information on men’s soccer as well as all things Osprey sports can be found on the UNF Athletics website here.
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