Photo courtesy Atlantic Sun Conference
The UNF Ospreys will once again advance to the semifinals of the Atlantic Sun Men’s Soccer Championship after a blowout performance and stunning 5-0 win over the fifth-seeded USC Upstate Spartans on Wednesday night, Nov. 12.
A recorded 325 people showed up to the Lipscomb Soccer Complex in Nashville, Tenn. and witnessed the fourth-seeded Ospreys net five goals, which turned out to be the most ever scored by UNF in a postseason match. The Ospreys ended up tying the single-game point record of 14, which they set earlier this season against Florida Atlantic University. The point system, for those of you who are unaware, is based on a tally of goals and assists, which grants two points for a goal and one point for an assist.
“I know the score doesn’t reflect it, but Upstate gave us a hard-fought challenge tonight,” said Head Coach Derek Marinatos. “A credit to them, we dodged a bullet early in the first half and they came out in the second half very direct, pushing us.”
Sophomore defensive midfielder Jay Bolt showed up with a different prerogative in the first half against the Spartans, scoring the first goal of the night and of his 2014 season. In the eighth minute Bolt received a well-placed assist from UNF sophomore Milan Kovacs and netted the ball past Spartan goalkeeper, Jack Rubin, to put the Ospreys out in front early in this match.
Another offensive surprise by the Ospreys during the 34th minute yielded in sophomore forward Demetri Zervos netting his first goal of the season and career, putting the Ospreys on top 2-0 going into the half. Offensive wildcard, Bolt, moved the ball down the sideline towards the Spartans’ goal and with a well-timed kick, placed the ball just inside the box requiring only some minor foot action by Zervos to send the ball sailing into the net.
Junior Osprey Kyle Nasta, the 2014 Atlantic Sun Goalkeeper of the Year, showed why he holds that title on Wednesday night. Nasta made a total of four saves for the night and racked up his fifth shutout for the season, tying the school record held by Brad Sienkiewicz since 2013.
Continuing the pattern of firsts for the evening, senior defensive midfielder Christopher Bush landed his first career goal in the 74th minute after a timely assist from junior forward Camilo Garcia.
The Ospreys took a total of 18 shots for the evening, 9 of those being on goal. The team tallied up four assists for the evening, making it the most they have ever recorded in a postseason match.
The UNF Ospreys will play the top-seeded Lipscomb Bisons tonight, Nov. 14, at 8 p.m. in Nashville, Tenn. The victor of this matchup will go on to play the winner of FGCU vs. NKU in the A-Sun Championship Final, which will be aired by ESPN 3 on Sunday at 1 p.m.
Gallery photos courtesy Atlantic Sun Conference
[doptg id=”71″]* 11/15/14 at 3:07 p.m. – Updated with gallery photos.
Email Jordan Ferrell at sports@unfspinnaker.com
