The University of North Florida’s men’s soccer team dropped a 1-0 decision to the University of Alabama at Birmingham on Thursday afternoon at UNF’s turf field.
Originally, the game was scheduled for 7 p.m. at Hodges Stadium but was moved earlier in anticipation of inclement weather.
The Ospreys and the Blazers traded shots for the first 15 minutes of the game. Both teams had three shot attempts in the first 20 minutes of the game. There were no shots for the next ten minutes until UAB had a scoring attempt with 13 minutes left in the half.
Following two Osprey fouls and a yellow card, UAB scored first with a goal by Tony Kim. North Florida closed out the half with a pair of shots, but the Ospreys finished the opening period without a shot on goal.
“We didn’t defend the edge of the box,” Head Coach Davies said. “It’s a lapse of concentration from us.”
UAB opened the final frame with a trio of shots, including two shots on goal, which resulted in two saves for UNF goalie Lu Pentinat. It wasn’t until the 71st minute that the Ospreys made its first shot of the half.
Between the 77th and 80th minute, North Florida took a barrage of shot attempts. UNF Transfer Luc Granitur notched two shots, including the team’s only shot on goal. Senior Joaquin Acuna added two more shots, but the comeback attempt fell short and UNF was handed its first home loss of the season.
Despite the loss, Davies noted some positives about his team’s performance.
“I think we showed once again that we can absolutely dominate a team,” Davies said. “[UAB] had to make adjustments because of us. [UAB] changed their shape because of us which is a massive compliment to what we’re doing.”
UNF had chances to score in this game, especially in the second period. The Ospreys offense improved with one extra shot attempt and defensively with three more saves.
“We had our moments to get the goal,” Davies said. “That’s football.”
According to Davies, UAB adjusted to a “back five” defense, forcing his team to be “even better.
“If your passes aren’t right and you’re playing on a surface you don’t play on every day,” Davies said. “When a team plays back five, you’ve got to be even better.”
UNF falls to 1-2-2 for the season and UAB improves to 2-1-1.
The Ospreys will host Georgia Southern on Monday at Hodges Stadium. Kickoff is scheduled for 7 p.m.
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