UNF men’s soccer beat USC Upstate 2-0 at Hodges Stadium on Oct. 31. With the win, the Ospreys ended the regular season on a historic note.

UNF (8-6-1 overall, 4-0-1 A-Sun) honored their seniors before they played their season finale against the Spartans (5-6-1 overall, 1-3-1 A-Sun).

The first half of play was an uneventful affair. Only 4 total shots on goal were attempted. Neither team managed to capitalize until 44:05 when UNF senior forward Alex Morrell managed to score, putting the Ospreys up 1-0 at the half.

Frustration began to show as yellow cards were given to USC Upstate freshman forward Ryan Ross, sophomore defender Lukas Sommer, and senior defender Tucker Beerman. UNF senior forward Helge Pietschmann was awarded a yellow card.

Pietschmann would make up for his mistake shortly after with a goal at 77’ to give UNF a commanding 2-0 lead. The senior said he was satisfied to get a goal on senior night, along with Morrell.

“It was amazing that me and Alex [Morrell] sealed the win,” Pietschmann said. “We still have to beat Lipscomb. We’re gonna come out, we’re gonna be hot, and we’re gonna destroy them.”

The Ospreys would maintain the 2-0 shutout over the Spartans. The win solidified a tie with FGCU for a share of the Atlantic Sun’s regular season title, marking UNF’s best finish ever in the conference. FGCU still holds the no. 1 seed due to goal differential.

After the game, men’s soccer head coach Derek Marinatos said he had his eyes on the A-Sun tournament.

“It feels good to be regular season champions,” Marinatos said. “Now our goal is to win the championship of the [Atlantic Sun] tournament and get to the NCAA’s.”

The next match for the Ospreys will be against no. 3 seed Lipscomb (6-9-1 overall, 3-2-0 A-Sun) in the Atlantic Sun Men’s Soccer Championship semifinals on Nov. 7 at Hodges Stadium.

—

For more information or news tips, or if you see an error in this story or have any compliments or concerns, contact sports@unfspinnaker.com.