It was a spooky Friday the 13th evening in September, and the North Florida men’s soccer team was facing off against the Florida Atlantic University Owls. The Ospreys were on a two-game losing streak and had scored only one goal in the past three games. 

However, it wasn’t just the team that was struggling to score. Senior forward Joaquin Acuna was seeking his first goal of the season, and it didn’t come that night in Boca Raton. Nothing positive happened on the field for Acuna that night. In fact, Acuna received a red card 11 minutes into the game, prompting his immediate ejection. Despite this, Acuna credits this game to his midseason turnaround. 

Following the game against FAU, Acuna said Head Coach Jamie Davies “ripped” into him.

“To put it in simpler terms and in better terms, he was saying this is your last year. This is not how you want to go out. Leave this place the way you want to be remembered,” Acuna said. “You can’t put those three years of hard work and struggle down the drain over a bit of pressure.”

Before the 2024 season began, Acuna said he felt pressure knowing it could be his last competitive soccer season. 

“I was very in my head about: Could this be my last season playing competitive soccer ever?” Acuna said. “And if it is, how can I make it the best?”

After a season of leading the team in goals scored with 10, including three games with a brace, Acuna certainly made his last season at UNF the best.

How he started soccer

Acuna started playing soccer at the age of six in his hometown of Buenos Aires, Argentina. Just two years later, Acuna moved to Naples, Fla. Acuna said playing soccer helped him assimilate to the new culture of the states. 

“Having soccer to kind of back me up on that and help me make all these new connections really helped out.”

Acuna’s dad was his coach from the moment he began competitive soccer until he arrived at the college level. The Golden Gate High School graduate credits his dad’s sacrifices and ability to teach him life skills.

“That was also nice to have that connection [with my dad], to be able to grow not only as a person but as a player.”

Not many coaches were as “aggressive” in recruiting Acuna because it was during the COVID-19 pandemic when college seniors on teams were allowed to stay another year. As a result, there was less recruiting of high school players. 

However, Acuna was recruited by UNF at a soccer tournament in Florida. 

Former UNF head coach Derek Marinatos contacted Acuna after one of his teammates said “he’s gonna make your team good.”

“I loved Derek as a person and loved what they were doing with UNF,” Acuna said. 

Marinatos was one of the many coaches and players Acuna spoke with after the FAU game.

What drew Acuna to UNF was the similar mentality he shared with the program and coaches. 

“They had that same mentality that I grew up playing with,” Acuna said. “In Argentina it’s all about how much effort you put in, how much grit you have – it’s that blue-collar mentality.”

Acuna’s time as an Osprey

It didn’t take long for Acuna to get acclimated to UNF’s culture as he led the Ospreys in goals scored during his freshman season. 

In his second season, donning the blue and grey, Acuna’s production numbers took a dip because of “internal struggles” he faced. 

“Internal struggles, most of them stemming from the field, not being able to produce, not being able to do what I knew I could do to help the team,” Acuna said. “So I kind of put a lot of it on my back being the top scorer the year before.”

Thankfully, Acuna’s sophomore slump didn’t last long. His numbers steadily improved over his final two years at UNF, which all culminated in a breakout senior year. However, Acuna’s senior year didn’t start quite as planned. Acuna didn’t notch his first goal until the seventh game of the season. This, ultimately, prompted a breakout performance during conference play. 

The team began succeeding with Acuna, as the Ospreys won six of its next nine games after Acuna’s first goal. UNF won its way into the ASUN Tournament and hosted the final two rounds. Acuna’s production played a huge role in UNF’s postseason success. 

“Storybook” ASUN Championship

After Acuna scored two goals in North Florida’s rout of FGCU, the Ospreys were set to host Central Arkansas in the ASUN Championship. 

“This was going to be a dogfight, these guys are good, they’re coming here to spoil our celebrations here at our homefield.” Acuna said. 

With the championship game tied at three at halftime, free kicks were needed to decide a winner, and after the Sugar Bears stole the spotlight on the Ospreys’ senior night, UNF was determined to not let them steal this game.

“45 minutes for the rest of your life, that’s all you got right now,” Acuna said during halftime. “These are the moments you’ll remember when you’re old and talking to your kids.”

Stepping up to the box was a “mentally exhausted” Acuna, ready to attempt his final shot at Hodges Stadium. 

“I’m surviving solely off the energy that everybody else is bringing, how they’re reacting,” Acuna said. 

Before attempting the kick, Acuna looked around and said the fans were reacting as if UNF had already won the game. 

“I took a look around and thought ‘Hell, if I miss this PK, I don’t know if I can show my face around here.” Acuna said.

But once Acuna got the ball from the referee, he had full confidence the ball was going in. In his final shot at Hodges Stadium, Acuna fired the ball quickly into the left side of the goal. So quickly that the Central Arkansas goalie was stationary the whole time. Hundreds of students proceeded to rush the field and celebrate with Acuna. 

“It was honestly a storybook ending, it couldn’t have come out better,” Acuna said.

UNF was now the ASUN champion in men’s soccer for the second time in program history. While the team won the title, Acuna believes the university as a whole can share it. 

“At UNF, all that matters is the people that are around you, the people who believe in you, the student body, the student-athletes that are there supporting each other at every game,” Acuna said. “It’s a very tight-knit community.

It still hasn’t fully set in for Acuna that his final kick at Hodges Stadium was a championship penalty kick. Acuna jokingly hopes that maybe he could play a fifth year. 

“Maybe the NCAA changes the rules a little bit for me?” Acuna said. “Everytime i walk by the stadium, I look back at the penalty box and get a little flashback of what happened.”

This may be a storybook ending for Acuna’s time at UNF, but he hopes his story can continue. He is already receiving calls from the professional level.

“It’s nice to end off that way but as a competitor, and as an athlete, you always bet on yourself,” Acuna said. 

Acuna is waiting to fulfill his childhood dream of playing professional soccer. On his end, Acuna said he is taking care of his body and preparing himself for what’s to come. 

“Now I’m just enjoying the ride and making sure I’m ready.”