Ospreys win A-Sun finale

Sunday, October 28

Nashville, Tenn.

2:00 PM

University of North Florida

Lipscomb

Adam O'Neill

10/28/2007 12:00:00 AM | Men's Soccer

UNF takes down Lipscomb 3-0, finishes 4th in A-Sun

Oct. 28, 2007

Box Score

NASHVILLE, Tenn. - The University of North Florida men's soccer team capped Atlantic Sun Conference play on Sunday afternoon with a resounding 3-0 win over Lipscomb to secure a fourth-place finish in the league standings and prove its preseason doubters wrong.

Freshmen Adam O'Neill and Akil DeFreitas each scored goals for the Ospreys, who got the benefit of an own goal that deflected off a defender and into the net to open the day's scoring in the 49th minute. The Ospreys were outshot by the Bisons 22- 19, but got a tremendous effort in goal from freshman Andrew Calise, who tallied nine saves to post his fourth shutout of the season.

The victory improved UNF (7-8-0, 5-4-0 A- Sun) to 3-1 against the top finishers in the A-Sun this season, including a win over regular-season champion Jacksonville, third-place Campbell and the fifth-place Bisons (5-8-3, 4-3-2 A-Sun). UNF would be the fourth seed in the upcoming A-Sun Championship if eligible for postseason play. The Ospreys are not eligible due to NCAA reclassification rules as they continue their transition from Division II to Division I. UNF was picked to finish 10th in a preseason poll of A- Sun coaches.

"I thought we did really well in conference this season," UNF head coach Ray Bunch said. "We beat two of the top three teams but lost some others that we probably should have won. That tells me that we lack a bit of maturity and don't necessarily have the experience we need. This season will be a learning tool for us. From where they picked us, to where we finished is a big difference, and I am really proud of our guys."

On Sunday, it was a pair of freshmen finishing off a big win.

After a scoreless first half, Lipscomb's defensive misplay put UNF on the board four minutes into the second half. The Ospreys wasted little time in putting the game out of reach from there, getting a score from DeFreitas in the 58th minute off a cross from Shareef Rajkumar and then capping the day with O'Neill's score in the final minute on a pass from Ryan Brennan.

Lipscomb held the offensive advantage most of the game, despite the final score -- with a 9-0 margin in corners for the game and a 14-7 shot advantage in the second half. Lipscomb goalie Jake Goergen took the loss, allowing all three goals while recording three saves.

The Ospreys will return to Jacksonville and play their home finale at Hodges Stadium on Tuesday at 7 p.m. when they take on in-state foe UCF. Game time is set for 7 p.m., with a pregame ceremony to honor the team's outgoing seniors. UNF closes its season at Coastal Carolina on Saturday.

"I am really proud of our seniors for what they have given our team this year," Bunch said. "Martin Schuhte and Mark Sergio have kept us together and really provided some good leadership and excellent play. It will be nice to have a chance to honor them on Tuesday night."