After jumping out to an early lead, North Florida’s Men’s Soccer team (2-8-0, 1-1-0 ASUN) could not hold on the early lead against Lipscomb (3-7-0, 2-1-0 ASUN) at home on Oct. 6.

With the non-conference schedule wrapped up, the Ospreys remain poised to make a statement in the ASUN. A win against Lipscomb would tie them with the top spot in the conference against the likes of Jacksonville and FGCU. A second-half goal from Lipscomb dashed their chances.

In the first half of the matchup, both teams competed heavily to maintain possession of the ball. The Ospreys took advantage of a scoring opportunity in the thirty-fifth minute when Sophomore LJ Estes scored after receiving a great pass off Sophomore Nick Burgess. This would be Estes’s first goal in his collegiate career.

“It was amazing, [I] always pictured what my first goal would be,” Estes said.

That moment would be short-lived because Lipscomb answered back in the forty-second minute with a goal from Junior John Wynia, bringing the game to a 1-1 tie.

In the second half, Lipscomb continued to attack and wear down the Ospreys backline. Lipscomb was able to score in the seventy-first minute where Freshman Zarek Jakubowski scored on a cross from fellow freshman Noah Gulden. The Ospreys would continue to fight, but struggle to find success in their attacking chances. As time ran out, Lipscomb left Harmon Stadium with the victory.

“I thought that the end of the first half our lack of possession in the final third caught up to us. At the end of the day, that’s the period where we got outplayed, “ Coach Derek Marinatos said.

Despite the loss, North Florida has another chance at redemption as they head across town for a River City Rumble matchup against Jacksonville on Oct.12 at 7 p.m.  

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