Spartans looking for leadership from Swan, Griffin

TAMPA – With eight starters departed from last fall’s side, the University of Tampa men's program may be a team in transition during spring practice, which began last week, and this upcoming fall.

If central midfielders Karl Swan and Ryan Griffin have anything to do about it, though, the Spartans will be back to make another run at a Top-5 finish and a national title.

Two of the three returning starters, Lister Warren being the third, Swan and Griffin have run the center of the Spartans midfield since being moved there during their freshman seasons in a game against Rollins College.

“Ryan Maxwell got red-carded, we were tied 0-0 in the game, he gets red-carded with about five minutes to go in the (first) half, we had to play down a man,” Spartans coach Adrian Bush said. “We popped Ryan and Karl in there, played with three in the middle, and from that day forward they haven’t left the position.”

A big reason for that is how well both players game’s fit together. Griffin is the bigger of the two, listed at 6-foot-3 and 190 pounds, and is constantly in the thick of the game, winning possession in the air and on the ground when opponents have the ball. Swan, at 5-10, 155 pounds, is the distributor, directing play as he uses his passing ability to switch the point of attack and move the team forward.

Both Swan and Griffin played together for RSL Florida prior to becoming Spartans, winning three state championships in five seasons with the club. Swan thinks that while it might have taken longer for the two to jell had they not played prior to UT, the fact that they had was beneficial to the Spartans program.

“With both our strengths, it would have taken a little bit longer,” Swan said. “I think it would have taken a year, maybe even two years to put both our strengths together. It was a great plus we had RSL and played four or five years together.”

That success at the club level, and in their first two season as Spartans has both players believing the side will be as strong in the past two seasons, with Griffin looking forward to taking a more active leadership role on the team.

“We’ve obviously got to take the reins now,” Griffin said. “The team is looking to us now, it’s our time. I’ve always been a very vocal person on my team, as I have for the past two years, but now the words mean a lot more, make sure you compliment the young guys coming in, make sure they can assimilate themselves well into the program.

“I’m not going to change anything personally, still working out the same, but definitely vocally I've got to be the voice of the team.”

And that is exactly what Bush wants both players to be.

“The leadership part, stepping up and being more vocal as a leader is something we’re going to expect of them,” Bush said. “These guys have played at a very good level and are accustomed to winning, and I think just feeding that type of mentality and that type of work ethic to everyone on the team, and especially the new guys coming in, is going to be the most important thing we can get from those guys.

“They’re team guys. They’re about the team, will play any position that you ask and are just about getting results, that’s all they care about.”

Colleges: Spartans hopes for Final Four return dashed

The University of Tampa’s bid for back-to-back Division II Tournament Final Four appearances came to an end on Saturday night as the No.10 Spartans fell to No.9 Lees-McRae 1-0 in Banner Elk, N.C.

The goal came on the first real attack of the night, as Bobcats midfielder Jamie Bladen fired a shot from 30 yards out that caught the underside of the crossbar and went into the net in the second minute.

“I don’t look for it, but if it is a chance to shoot I am confident I can hit the target and test the keeper,” Bladen said. “It is a team game. I might have scored the goal, but it is a team game. We are glad we made it to the final four, but our goal is to win it (the NCAA Tournament).”

The Spartans had difficulty countering the early strike as the Bobcats defense did well to restrict the Spartans scoring opportunities. Pascal Milien and Lister Warren only had one shot apiece, and the Spartans only forced Lees-McRae goalkeeper Sean Paradise into a pair of saves on the night.

Spartans coach Adrian Bush said he as the Spartans squad was disappointed, but gave the Bobcats credit for an outstanding defensive performance.

“I give Lees-McRae a lot of credit, and I think they are a fantastic team and very well coached,” Bush said. “I think it was a game played in the middle third and outside of Bladen’s shot for the goal, I think both teams defended very well. I think (Lees-McRae) will represent the South very well in the Final Four, and we have nothing to be ashamed of on our side. Hopefully they will come back with a championship.”

The Spartans will see five starters graduate from the side this season, with Pascal Milien, Dan Ingvarsson, Kyle Williams, Ryan Thompson and Zach Fraser moving on. Bush said he was grateful to have had those five players be a part of the Spartans program.

“My heart goes out to this senior class as I know they gave our program and university their heart and soul for four years,” Bush said. “All of them are great soccer players but to see their growth as people off the field is something I feel blessed to be a part of.”

The Bobcats will now come to Tampa, and face Lewis on Dec. 3 in the Final Four. The other two teams headed to Tampa will be decided on Sunday as Le Moyne faces Southern (N.H.) in one Elite Eight contest and defending Division II champion Cal-State Dominguez Hills facing Fort Lewis in the other.

Colleges: Spartans move into NCAA quarterfinals

The University of Tampa moved one win away from a return to the NCAA Division II Tournament Final Four as the No.10-ranked Spartans defeated host and No.5-ranked Rollins 2-1 in the second round of the tournament on Sunday afternoon.

The Spartans got first half goals from Dan Ingvarsson and Greg O’Connor put the Spartans ahead, but it took some excellent goalkeeping from Ryan Thompson, and a late goal to be denied on an offside call, for the Spartans to advance to the quarterfinals.

“It gets us one step closer and we have to continue to improve in a lot of areas,” Spartans coach Adrian Bush said. “We will enjoy this and it’s back to work for our players tomorrow. With our staff, there are no days off; our prep is immediate.”

The Spartans opened brightly, and Ingvarsson opened the scoring in the 26th minute as he curled a free kick from just outside the penalty area into the net for his fifth goal of the season. The Tars then went close to tying the game as the Tars leading scorer J.D. Greunewald was denied by Thompson before O’Connor latched onto a pass by Brian Fekete and fired a shot in from the left corner of the penalty area.

Trailing 2-0 at halftime, the Tars increased their intensity to start the second half, but it was matched for the most part by the Spartans as neither side was able to gain an upper hand. That changed midway through the half as an angled cross into the penalty area from Jacob Deloach was headed home by Bradley Welch to make it a one-goal game.

The Tars then appeared to have tied the game with nine minutes to play, but Dennis Chin had his goal denied by the assistant referee's raised flag, signalling an offside call. Four minutes later, Thompson kept the Spartans ahead as he punched clear a header by Thomas Biddenger, and Tampa was able to hold on for the final five minutes.

“We want to tip our hats to Rollins, their coaching staff, and program,” Bush said. “This is a program with class and an outstanding team. This was a great win on the road against a very good team.”

The Spartans will travel to face No.9-ranked Lees-McRae in the quarterfinals on Saturday after the Bobcats defeated No.24 Anderson University 3-2 in their second round contest.

Colleges: Spartans move into South Region semifinals

Pascal Milien and Jordan Moses scored first-half goals as the University of Tampa moved into the South Regional semifinal of the NCAA Division II Men's Tournament with a 3-1 victory against Lynn.

“Very pleased,” Spartans coach Adrian Bush said. “It’s just a step further, a step closer to our goal. Sunday isn’t going to be an easy game by any means, but I’m very happy.”

Milien gave the Spartans the lead in the eighth minute, but the Fighting Knights hit back 11 minutes later as Paolo Vaz made the score 1-1. Moses restored the Spartans’ lead in the 29th minute, turning the ball home after Dan Ingvarsson had hit the crossbar and Lister Warren had a pair of shots blocked.

“It was a fantastic rebound,” Bush said. “There was probably thre or four that were initially blocked, and Jordan got in under control and just buried it. A great goal from him, and he’s a guy who started off injured, and he’s really starting to come into his own now. I’m really happy for him for what he did, he was outstanding tonight.”

The Spartans controlled good portions of the game, and that led to some frustrations for Lynn, which had six players shown yellow cards during the game. Bush said he thought the key to the game was the Spartans’ preparation that allowed them to make the correct adjustment to anything the Fighting Knights threw at them.

“They really went out an executed perfectly,” Bush said. “We talked about three or four different scenarios, if Lynn did this, how would we counter, and we were ready for anything they threw at us, and I think that was the difference in the game.”

Milien went close to extending the Spartans lead in the 64th minute as his fierce left-footed shot from just outside the penalty area came back off the post after he had cut in from the right side, but Tampa put the game away in the final minute as Chris O’Brien scored off a rebound of Milien’s initial shot.

The end of their season caused emotions to spill over for Lynn’s players, of whom two, Gabe Taboada and Christian Donert, were shown red cards after the game ended.

The Spartans will now face host Rollins on Sunday at 1 p.m. after the Tars defeated Barry 1-0 in overtime in the second game of the evening.

Colleges: Anderson's strike stuns Spartans, gives Barry SSC title

TAMPA – Before his No.8-ranked University of Tampa side took to the field to face Barry in the Sunshine State Conference Tournament final, Spartans coach Adrian Bush said he thought that Buccaneers midfielder Mark Anderson was the best player not only in the conference, but in the entire South region.

With the game scoreless with six minute to play, Anderson’s brilliant 25-yard volley not only backed Bush’s statement, but also gave the Buccaneers the championship.

Mark Kilpatrick added a second goal four minutes later to give the Buccaneers their first SSC Tournament title since 2002, and fourth overall, with a 2-0 victory at Pepin-Rood Stadium on Sunday afternoon.

Anderson’s goal came like a bolt from the blue. An angled cross from the right side was headed away by Tampa’s Kyle Williams, but it came to Anderson, who fired his first-time left-footed volley low into the right corner of the net, Spartans goalkeeper Ryan Thompson frozen to his line as the fantastic strike flashed into the net.

“I anticipated it, it fell to my left foot, my weaker foot,” Anderson said. “Lucky enough, it went straight in.”

Anderson then assisted on Mark Kilpatrick’s counter-attack goal in the 87th minute, Zach Fraser’s shot getting blocked to give the Bucs a two-on-one the other way as the Spartans pushed forward for an equalizer. Kilpatrick picked up Anderson’s pass just inside his own half and took it to the edge of the penalty area before sliding his shot underneath an advancing Thompson to make it 2-0.

That it was still scoreless in the final 10 minutes laid at the feet of the Spartans, who could, and quite probably should, have been ahead by that point. Pascal Milien had a close-range header go off the firm Pepin-Rood surface over the crossbar, and then had a shot blocked after a great move begun by Greg O’Connor and continued by Lister Warren had put Milien in on the left in the first half.

The Spartans continued to carry the play to start the second half, Warren seeing his shot from the top of the penalty area well saved, and O’Connor beating two defenders as he cut into the penalty area from the right, only to fire his left-footed shot over the crossbar.

Milien then had an appeal for a penalty turned down after he had picked up the ball at midfield, sped past two defenders down the left side and was clattered into by a Barry defender in the penalty area. Referee Shane Moody saw it as a shoulder-to-shoulder challenge, though, allowing play to continue. Fraser then saw his shot from eight yards go over after a good cross by Brian Fekete on the left.

As the game went on, the Spartans frustration at a lack of a goal became more evident, and they were deeply unhappy after the final whistle blew.

“This is hard,” Milien said. “This is the worst moment for me playing soccer, when I played on my home field, and I see the other team celebrating on my home field, that’s hurting me. But at the end of the day, this is the game of soccer. We’ve got to put this behind us and then move forward.”

Those celebration were sweet for Buccaneers coach Steve McCrath, who said his young side had matured after falling 2-1 to the Spartans back in September. The Buccaneers have now won 10 of their last 11 games entering the NCAA Tournament, which begins next week.

“I think we matured after our game against Tampa the first time,” McCrath said. “From that point on, I think we were much better than a (SSC Tournament) four-seed, but the point is that this team, young as it is, is probably just as strong as anybody in the conference at the top. I think we could all be rated the No.1 team.”

Bush said he was disappointed to lose, but gave credit to the Buccaneers for their victory.

“I think to win championships, you have to come out with championship emotion,” Bush said. “In my opinion, they deserved to win the game based on (the fact that) they wanted to win more than our guys. I’m very, very disappointed in our guys, and now we get to find out what sort of character we’ve got.”

The Spartans were hoping a victory would allow them to be a host site for the opening rounds of the NCAA tournament. Now they will have to wait and see whether they have to travel, and if so where, for the opening weekend of the tournament when the bracket is announced on Monday evening.

Colleges: Spartans appreciate honors, but focused on Sharks

TAMPA – While the individual accolades seven of the No.8-ranked University of Tampa’s players received on Thursday were appreciated, it didn’t take any focus away from the task the Spartans face on Friday night against Nova Southeastern in the semifinals of the Sunshine State Conference tournament at Pepin-Rood Stadium.

“We’ve had accolades, four guys All-American last year, and I think as a group we’ve been pretty humble about the things that come our way,” Spartans coach Adrian Bush said. “We recognize that it’s a great accomplishment for those guys, but in the big scheme of things we’re more worried about our group success as a team, and I think in the end if you’re to win a championship, that’s more important than any individual accolade.”

Ryan Thompson echoed his coach. Now a two-time SSC Defensive Player of the Year, the Spartans senior goalkeeper is more concerned with picking up silverware in December than in November.

“It’s good,” Thompson said, “but at the end of the day if you don’t have that ring, it doesn’t matter, it means nothing.”

The Spartans appeared relaxed as they worked out on Thursday afternoon. Bush said he thought that came from the experience the older players in his side had, and that their influence was rubbing off on the younger players in the squad.

“We’ve been in this situation the last three years we’ve been in the conference semifinal, the last two years, now three years, we’re going to be in the NCAA Tournament,” Bush said. “We returned every one of our guys that experienced the final four last year, so the experience is very good, I think it really helps the younger guys to stay relaxed, to maintain their focus on understanding what this really is. There’s a lot of times where you can get caught up in this stuff.”

And that’s the last thing the Spartans want to do against a Nova Southeastern squad that already pulled one upset. The No.6-seed Sharks defeated No.3-seed Lynn in a penalty shootout after the teams played to a 2-2 tie on Tuesday, and Thompson is expecting a tough battle.

“Any team on any given day can defeat any other team,” Thompson said, “so we personally know that Nova is a very good team, and we’re not going to take them lightly. We’re going to come and play them the same way we play every other team in this conference.”

In their previous meeting this season, the Spartans jumped on the Sharks early, Lister Warren scoring twice as Tampa romped to a 6-1 victory. Pascal Milien said that the biggest thing will be for the Spartans to come out as strongly as they did in that game to put their stamp on the game.

“The last time we played against them, we came out strong and ready to play, and that’s the reason why we won the game,” Milien said. “They didn’t expect that, they have a good team, but we came out as a team strong and ready to win, and that’s what happened. Hopefully tomorrow we’ll be focused the same way. I’m pretty sure it’ll be a good game.”

Colleges: Warren leads No.9 Spartans rout of Lions

TAMPA – For 45 minutes, Saint Leo’s men’s soccer team was able to play with the No.9-ranked University of Tampa.

Then, in a 15 minute span to start the second half, the Spartans were incisive with their play, and decisive with their finishing.

Lister Warren recorded a hat trick as Tampa scored four times in the opening 16 minutes of the second half on its way to a 5-1 victory on Thursday night at Pepin-Rood Stadium that sealed a share of the Sunshine State Conference regular season title.

The rout took shape in the 49th minute, when Karl Swan won a challenge in midfield, the ball deflecting to Warren in the center circle. Warren looked up and saw Swan had continued to move forward, and he slotted a pass into the right channel to find the midfielder, and Swan finished low into the left corner of the net to put the Spartans up 2-0.

Warren scored his second goal of the night seven minutes later as a long cross from the left by Brian Fekete was headed down by Greg O’ Connor, and Warren lifted his volley over the advancing goalkeeper and into the net.

Zach Fraser then created Warren’s hat trick in the 57th minute, stealing the ball in Saint Leo’s half before sending an excellent cross from the right side into the penalty area, finding an unmarked Warren for a free header into the left corner of the net.

O’Connor made it 5-0 three minutes later as he broke the Lions offside trap on a through ball by Pascal Milien, and made no mistake with his finish.

“We weren’t happy with a lot of the stuff that was going on in the first half, and give Saint Leo credit, I think they did a good job,” Spartans coach Adrian Bush said. “I think they really came out with emotion, and that’s what we talked about, and I’m very pleased with how we responded in the second half against a good team.”

Warren had opened the scoring in the 20th minute, finishing a move that saw Milien drive down the right flank before crossing into the penalty area to O’Connor. Warren created an overlap on the left side of the penalty area, and after receiving a pass from O’Connor finished strongly.

Warren paid tribute to his teammates for their creation of the chances he was afforded.

“It’s all about the team,” Warren said. “I scored the goals, but I give credit to the person who passed the ball in. It’s always a team game.”

Milien in particular was excellent, using his pace and skill to create opportunities for his teammates and himself. While he wasn’t able to find the back of the net, it wasn’t for lack of trying as he had 13 of the Spartans 30 shots, seven of which were on target.

“He was active, we really went after him, talked at half time with him about being more active,” Bush said. “He’s a game-changer. Pascal is one of the top players in the country, and I think he showed it tonight. I think it’s unfortunate he didn’t get a goal, but if you look at the production of what he did, it’s not just about scoring goals. He was one of the men of the match definitely tonight.”

Saint Leo pulled a consolation goal back late, a poor free kick by Tampa allowing Odyss Economides to find Jonathan Glenn for a 84th minute goal, but the goal was the only shot on goal the Lions managed in the second half as they were outshot 21-2 after the break by the Spartans.

Tampa had already received good news before the game began, as Rollins won the women’s SSC regular season title. As such, while the Rollins men were in line to host the SSC final four as the No.1 seed, SSC regulations don’t allow the men’s and women’s tournament to be held at the same location. That means the Spartans will host the SSC Men’s Tournament, where they will face the winner of Lynn and Nova Southeastern next Friday.

Warren said he was looking forward to try and win an SSC title on the Spartans’ home field.

“Home advantage is always a positive,” Warren said. “You have the crowd, you are familiar with the turf and everything. Let’s hope we come out the victors.”

Colleges: Spartans, Lions have travelled different paths

TAMPA – As they meet to end the regular season at Pepin-Rood Stadium tonight at 7 p.m., it can easily be said that the seasons of the University of Tampa and Saint Leo men’s soccer teams have taken vastly different paths.

Tampa is currently ranked No.9 in the nation, has only lost once, and while it faces a tough road to get there should certainly be considered one of the favorites to advance to the NCAA Division II Final Four. The Spartans can earn a share of the Sunshine State Conference regular season title with a victory, something Coach Adrian Bush is happy about.

“Anytime you can close out the conference with a win before your final stretch of conference tournament and playoffs is good,” Bush said.

Saint Leo has gone the other way. After a 5-3 record in the SSC last season, the Lions cannot make the SSC tournament this year having only won twice in seven conference games entering Thursday night’s game.

Illness has affected the program for the whole season, with Coach Joel Harrison not knowing at times how many players he would have available on a day-to-day basis. The Lions appeared to be getting on the right track after putting together three straight wins at the beginning of October, including one over then No.14-ranked Lynn, but a pair of defeats to Barry and Nova Southeastern have left the side knowing tonight will be their final game of the season.

“It’s been frustrating, and all kind of things, it’s hard to put it into words,” Harrison said. “I don’t know if its hit us harder than anyone else, but I think our guys have still come out and worked hard and tried to do their best, and that’s all we can ask of them, you know, regardless of who’s healthy an who’s not to go out and compete and hopefully eventually things will start to pay off for us.”

Bush has little to no sympathy for what Saint Leo has gone through, noting that his side, and most sides, face similar adversity during a season.

"That's what you carry extra players on your team for," Bush said. "Every team goes through injuries, and if they want to make an excuse of a flu going through their team, I don't think there's a team in the country that hasn't experienced that.

"So they can sit there and pin-point excuses all they want, hopefully they're healthy now, and we'll see what their excuse is tomorrow."

The Spartans are certainly confident of earning victory. Spartans center back Dan Ingvarsson believes if his teammates take care of outworking the Lions, everything else will take care of itself.

“I know we’re a better soccer team,” Spartans center back Dan Ingvarsson said. “The only thing they can beat us at is work-rate, and if we bring the work-rate, there’s no way we can lose.”

Colleges: Spartans finish poorly, but earn victory

TAMPA -The No.9 Tampa Spartans did close to everything right against Johnson and Wales.

They dominated possession, held the Wildcats to just two shots, neither of which tested Clete Goddard in the Tampa net, and on another night would have seen more of their 30 shots find the back of the net to record just as lopsided a win as many opponents have against the Wildcats this season.

But on Monday night at Pepin-Rood Stadium, the Spartans left their goal-scoring boots back in the locker room as a late first half penalty and early second half fluke were the only goals in a 2-0 victory.

Not that Spartans coach Adrian Bush was overly perturbed by the way the game played out.

“It’s soccer,” Bush said. “I was happy that a lot of our guys got quality minutes tonight. We did what we had to do to come in here with a win, stayed healthy, no cards, and we did exactly that.”

All that was the case, only Goddard, Dan Bergstrand and Matt Noble played the full 90 minutes for the Spartans as 26 players saw action, but the Spartans could, and probably should, have had more success in front of goal. The Wildcats used their offside trap to great effect, catching the Spartans seven times in each half, and even when the Spartans beat it, either Wildcats goalkeeper Sky Brisco was on hand to save, making nine overall, or the opportunity was squandered.

It wasn’t until the 44th minute that the Spartans broke the deadlock when Hamza El Haouati picked up the ball on the left, beat his defender and was brought down just inside the left edge of the penalty area. Dominic Goncalves stepped up and fired his shot low into the left corner of the net to convert the spot kick.

Tampa doubled its lead six minutes after the break when Matt Davies picked the ball up 45 yards from goal on the right. Looking to send an angled ball into the penalty area, Davies sent the ball long, but instead of being met by a Spartan head, it floated over Brisco’s head and into the left corner of the goal.

The Spartans will hope to be sharper on Thursday night when they host Saint Leo. A victory would give Tampa at least a share of the Sunshine State Conference regular season title, as it currently sits tied with Rollins on 18 points.

“Thursday’s about work rate,” Bush said. “That’s really what it comes down to anytime. It’s a battle with Saint Leo, it’s about the effort and the work rate, and I think the team that is the hardest-working team on Thursday is the one that’s going to come out on top.”

Colleges: Milien goal edges No.9 Spartans past Panthers

Pascal Milien scored his 10th goal of the season, and Ryan Thompson made a pair of crucial late saves as No.9 Tampa defeated Florida Tech 1-0 to move into a tie with Rollins for first place in the Sunshine State Conference.

With the game deadlocked entering the second half, the Spartans had a strong spell of pressure in the first 10 minutes after the break, Brian Fekete and Ryan Griffin both forcing saves from Florida Tech goalkeeper Derrick Hackett. The game continued to flow back and forth until the 79th minute when Lister Warren found Milien on the left side, and he fired his shot into the left side of the net to the Spartans the lead.

The Panthers tried to rally, Naru Wild-Putsorn shooting over the bar and Nicolas Garcia having his shot blocked before their best chance came in the 88th minute. Peter Mindley had his shot saved by Thompson, who then recovered in time to stop David Tufft’s chance on the rebound.

According to Spartans coach Adrian Bush, Thompson was a game-time decision before kickoff, but his six saves earned the senior his third shutout of the season.

"The difference-maker today was Ryan Thompson," Bush said. "To come into today as a game time decision and for him to deliver that type of performance is nothing short of amazing."

The Spartans face their final non-conference game of the season against Johnson and Wales on Monday before closing the regular season against rival Saint Leo on Thursday night. The Spartans could have a chance to win the SSC regular season title after Rollins lost its first game of the season 2-0 to Barry on Saturday night, leaving both sides with 18 points in the standings with one game to play.

College Matchday: No.2 Tampa at No.9 Rollins

WHEN: Friday, 7 p.m., Cahall-Sandspur Field

NEED TO KNOW: The Sunshine State Conference regular season title won’t be decided on Friday night, but the match-up between the No.2 Spartans and No.9 Tars will go a long way in determining who takes home the hardware in two weeks.

Both sides enter the match undefeated, Rollins (13-0-1, 5-0-0) having defeated No.19 Lynn 1-0 on Tuesday night through an 83rd minute goal by J.D. Gruenewald. The goal was Gruenewald’s team-leading eighth of the season, to go with nine assists which leads the Tars in both categories. The Tars, though, are far from a one-man show up front. Dennis Chin and Bradley Welch have both tallied six goals, with Stephen Wright adding five as the side has averaged three goals per game.

That is likely to provide a strong test of Tampa’s defense, which did not have its best game against Eckerd on Tuesday night. While the 4-1 win may appear to have been comfortable, Spartans goalkeeper Ryan Thompson had to make a number of outstanding saves to maintain his side’s advantage, and was not happy after the game with the quality of shots the Tritons had been able to create.

On the plus side for the Spartans, Pascal Milien appears to be coming into his best form of the season. Milien has scored eight goals on the season, and while he didn’t find the net on Tuesday, he was integral to the opportunities the Spartans created, beginning the move that led to Dominic Goncalves’ opening goal, and being brought down just outside the penalty area after a strong run which led to Dan Ingvarsson’s free kick that put the Spartans up 3-1.

The Spartans won last year’s contest at Pepin-Rood Stadium 2-0. A similar result tonight could result in the Spartans winning their first regular season title since Coach Adrian Bush took the helm of the program in 2005.

Colleges: No.2 Tampa gets tested, but pulls away from Eckerd

ST. PETERSBURG – With a pivotal game coming up on Friday for the University of Tampa, it could have been easy for the No.2-ranked Spartans to overlook their game on Tuesday night against an Eckerd team that had lost its previous two conference games.

The Tritons, though, gave the Spartans a tough test for the first 45 minutes before a pair of goals and a sending off in the second half allowed Tampa to earn a 4-1 victory at the Turley Athletic Complex.

“We’ve really focused on taking each game and breaking each game down,” Spartans coach Adrian Bush said. “To look ahead to Friday would have been very easy to do, and I think they came in with the right mentality and focus to get the job done tonight.

“I’m happy for our players because I know how hard they’ve worked to get the result that they got, because it could have been an easy let-down. But with this group, there are no let-downs. They’ve taken it in stride, they’ve beaten some very good teams, and it’s last game, next game for us. That’s all we really focus on.”

Tampa (10-0-1, 4-0-0 SSC) took the lead with a well-worked goal in the seventh minute, a long ball finding Pascal Milien on the right 30 yards from goal. Milien cut inside, and passed to Lister Warren at the top of the penalty area, who flicked the ball on to Ryan Griffin. With the defense pulled out of position, Griffin played the ball to Dominic Goncalves, who was overlapping down the left, and he shot into the net.

Eckerd (5-7-0, 3-3-0) bounced back quickly, and Spartans goalkeeper Ryan Thompson had to be sharp to make a pair of excellent saves, tipping a curling shot over the bar from Anthony Arico and palming a shot wide from Colin Kuhn.

Off the corner following Kuhn’s effort, the Tritons found an equalizer, Kuhn’s corner kick from the right going to the far post, where it was headed back across goal by Alex Patterson for Arico to volley home from eight yards out in the 18th minute.

The Tritons time on even terms was short-lived, though, as Dan Ingvarsson’s free kick from about 45 yards out found Ryan Griffin, who flicked his header into the left corner of the net six minutes later.

Both sides had chances to add to the scoring before halftime, Dan Sheekey and Arico being denied by Thompson, and Warren hitting the crossbar for the Spartans, but it wasn’t until the second half that Tampa began to pull away.

After Milien had picked up the ball in his own half, he beat a pair of Tritons and took off down he left flank, going about 50 yards before being brought down 25 yards from goal on the left side of the penalty area. Ingvarsson stepped up and curled a beautiful free kick over the defensive wall and into the left corner of the net, putting the Spartans up 3-1 in the 51st minute.

“It was nice,” Ingvarsson said. “I was lucky last year with a few, and it’s just so great to score my first free kick goal of the season.”

Ingvarsson also scored the Spartans’ fourth after Tampa was awarded a penalty when Mike Bethel’s shot was blocked by a defender’s hand in the penalty area. Eckerd goalkeeper Domenic Spedaliere did well to save Ingvarsson’s initial shot, diving to his right to save, but Ingvarsson followed up to score on the rebound.

Nine minutes later, the Tritons were reduced to 10 men after Sheekey was shown his second yellow card of the game for a poor challenge on Brian Fekete. While the Tritons had chances to score, with a man-advantage Tampa was able to control possession for the bulk of the remainder of the game.

Eckerd coach Jeremy Wisdo thought the difference in the game was finishing.

“We felt we had a couple of chances early on that we squandered early on,” Wisdo said. “Maybe in the first three corners we had two really good chances either we didn’t get on target or their goalie made a good save on.

“I thought our service was excellent from our corners, and from most of our set pieces, and we got on the end of a lot, but we couldn’t find the back of the net.”

The Spartans now travel to face No.9 Rollins on Friday night with the winner holding the inside track to the SSC regular season title. Bush said he has a great deal of respect for the Tars, who are 13-0-1 overall and 5-0-0 in the SSC after a 1-0 victory against Lynn on Tuesday night.


“Another top-10 match-up between two very solid teams,” Bush said. “I think their No.9 ranking is not justified, I definitely think they are a Top-5 team in the country, and we look forward to a great contest.”

Colleges: Spartans cap strong week with win over Moccasins

No.3 Tampa (8-0-1, 3-0-0) cruised to a 4-0 victory against Florida Southern (1-8-0, 1-4-0) on Friday night, completing a perfect week for the Spartans, who remained undefeated on the season.

After scoring three goals in the past two games, Pascal Milien turned provider on the Spartans first two goals on Friday, finding Lister Warren close in for the opening goal in the 16th minute. Former Plant City High standout doubled the Spartans lead in the 29th minute, taking a pass from Milien at the top of the penalty area before driving into the penalty area and scoring.

Zach Fraser’s 39th minute goal from the right added a third for the Spartans before half time. The win was Tampa’s third in four days after earning victories against Palm Beach Atlantic on Tuesday and Webber International on Wednesday.

“Three games in four days is never easy,” Spartans coach Adrian Bush said. “It’s a credit to the guys on a great week, but now we’ve got three days to get ready for Eckerd.”

The Lions face the Tritons on Tuesday night in what is shaping up to be a critical Sunshine State Conference game. Eckerd is 3-1 in the SSC, and a win would propel them into the conference championship race.

Colleges: Spartans round out busy week against Moccasins

TAMPA – Playing three games in four days this week, it was a necessity for University of Tampa men’s soccer coach Adrian Bush to use some player rotation to attempt to keep his players fresh for the duration.

What really pleased Bush, though, was the performance of those players who stepped into starting roles against Webber International on Wednesday afternoon.

“I was extremely pleased with the result (Wednesday),” Bush said. “Just as equally pleased as I was on Tuesday because it really gave those guys the opportunity they’ve been working for to come out and they performed. When their time was called, they didn’t look back, they played extremely well.”

Bush was especially pleased with center back Matt Noble, a former Wharton High standout, whose performance really stood out.

“I think when you’re behind (Dan) Ingvarsson and Kyle Williams, it’s a good position to be in because there’s so much I think Matt has learned in the last three months with these guys,” Bush said. “But he was definitely deserving of stepping in, and he proved that (Wednesday) that he could step in and do an outstanding job. I was really happy for him, just as with the rest of the guys.”

Goalkeeper Clete Goddard also made his first start, earning a shutout, which led to a post-game presentation from regular Spartans goalkeeper Ryan Thompson.

“Thompson presented him with the game-ball at the end of the game, which was a special moment, an act of class on his part,” Bush said.

Now the No.3-ranked Spartans round out the week with their third Sunshine State Conference game as they host Florida Southern at 7:30 p.m. While the Moccasins have struggled for the most part this season, posting a 1-7-0 record so far, Bush is not expecting an easy game.

“It’s another tough conference game,” Bush said. “They’re a quality team. I know they’ve been hit with some injuries, but it’s always tough when we play them just as it is with an conference game. Our only focus is them.”

Colleges: Goddard makes first start, earns shutout in Spartans' win

Clete Goddard recorded his first shutout in his first start in goal for the University of Tampa, which remained undefeated with a 1-0 victory against Webber International on Wednesday night.

Goddard replaced regular starting goalkeeper Ryan Thompson, who got the day off after the No.3 Spartans 2-1 victory against Palm Beach Atlantic on Tuesday night. The Spartans (7-0-1) play three games in four days this week, including a Sunshine State Conference game against Florida Southern on Friday night. Goddard made five saves to hold off the Warriors (6-5-0).

“I'm very happy for Clete Goddard and the entire backline,” Spartans coach Adrian Bush said. “We've got to continue to build and get better in a lot of areas of our game. We've got to get ready for Florida Southern on Friday night.”

Pascal Milien picked up where he left off against PBA, scoring his third goal in two days for the only goal of the game. Milien notched his eighth goal of the season in the 26th minute, which proved enough for the Spartans to earn victory.

Colleges; Griffin, Milien lead Spartans rally past No.1 Lynn

Pascal Milien scored the game-winning goal after teammate Ryan Griffin had forced overtime with just over two minutes to play in regulation as No.4 Tampa came back to defeat No.1 Lynn 2-1 at Pepin-Rood Stadium on Saturday in the latest installment of what has been an enthralling rivalry.

Lynn forward Paolo Vaz was shown a straight red card for a dangerous challenge on Spartans center back Dan Ingvarsson in the 38th minute. The Fighting Knights (10-1-0, 2-1-0 Sunshine State Conference) persisted despite being down a man, and took the lead in the 79th minute when Scott Gordon drove a free kick into the top left corner of the Spartans’ net.

Falling behind saw the Spartans (6-0-1, 2-0-0 SSC) play with even greater urgency, and they were rewarded in the 87th minute after a long ball by Ingvarsson into the penalty area found Griffin, who fired home.

The goal was a fitting reward for Griffin’s work in the center of midfield for the Spartans.

“I hope people are taking notice of what he does game in and game out,” Spartans coach Adrian Bush said. “He’s not the guy with all the flash, but he’s a rock in the middle along with Karl Swan.”

Milien then gave the Spartans victory, beating Lynn goalkeeper Alessandro Dalvatore to a through ball by Greg O’Connor to fire home the winner, and send the Spartans bench into celebration.

Bush said while defeating Lynn was a big achievement for his squad, he expected to see the Fighting Knights again later in the season. The Spartans and Fighting Knights have played in the regular season, Sunshine State Conference Tournament and NCAA Division II Tournament for the past two seasons.

“It’s a big win for the program” Bush said. “I’m happy for the university, for our fans, and for our players, but we understand that this does not make out season. We’re now getting ready for Palm Beach Atlantic on Tuesday.”

Colleges: No.4 Spartans, No.1 Knights ready to resume rivalry

TAMPA – University of Tampa men’s soccer coach Adrian Bush puts it simply.

“If you’re a fan of soccer, and you’re not at the game (Saturday) night, I think you’re going to miss a great opportunity to see two of the top teams in Division II, or any classification of college soccer. I know I would be there. If I wasn’t coaching the game, I would drive two three hours to watch this game.”

The No.4-ranked Spartans host No.1 Lynn at Pepin-Rood Stadium on Saturday night at 7 p.m. in the resumption of what has become a heated rivalry, especially with the two sides facing one-another six times over the past two seasons. In that time, the Spartans have eliminated the Fighting Knights twice in the NCAA Tournament, including a 3-2 victory against then No.1 Lynn last season.

That history has both coaches saying the other has become the biggest rival they face each season, and both express admiration for the history of each program.

“I think Lynn for so many years has been the measuring-stick for the conference,” Bush said. “Credit to Sean Pendleton, and Sean Rootes has come in and continued the same success that they’ve had in years past. He’s done a great job. We’ve got a lot of respect for the program, their kids, the type of players that they have.”

Pendleton built the Lynn program before taking over at Division I Appalachian State after the 2007 season, and still holds the NCAA record for the highest winning percentage in Division II history. Entering this season, he held a record of 330 wins, 58 losses and 17 ties, a winning percentage of .838, which was also good for fifth all-time across all divisions. Rootes has maintained that standard, and has a talented striker in 27-year-old Paulo Vaz leading his attack with 15 goals in 10 games.

But it’s the defensive match-up that should prove to be key on Saturday, with Rootes pointing to his goalkeeper Alessandro Salvatore and Tampa’s Ryan Thompson as being two of the best in the nation.

“If you look at the game (Saturday) night, it’s going to be two very good goalkeepers,” Rootes said. “Ryan Thompson, who is probably the best ‘keeper in the country, and our goalkeeper Alessandro is coming along and really playing well. I think they’re going to be the keys to the game.”

A game that should be pretty intense if recent meetings are to be any way to judge. But while both teams are eager to earn victory and gain a leg up in their pursuit of a Sunshine State Conference title, both coaches expect the game to be clean.

“As long as the kids are allowed to play, they’re very clean games,” Bush said. “The game is played the right way. Both programs have a certain style, they tend to that. You would think it would be so intense, but it’s not that way. It’s no secret that we don’t like them, they don’t like us, but when it comes gameday, the kids play hard, but it’s clean soccer.”

All of which should make for an outstanding contest.

“I think it’s going to be a great game,” Rootes said. “We look at it with Tampa being such a great team that they’re going to be in the playoffs, and I wouldn’t be surprised if we saw them again later down the road, so we’re looking at it and trying to take some of the pressure of by saying ‘Look, this is a great team, and a great rivalry, and we want to have fun and really enjoy it and just have a great game.’ ”

Colleges: Spartans O'Connor ready for first start

TAMPA – It’s a long way from Wellington, New Zealand to Tampa.

A little over 8,000 miles, in fact.

After coming that distance to play for the University of Tampa men’s soccer team, forward Greg O’Connor has come a long way in the two months he’s been with the team, and will make his first start for the Spartans on Saturday as they open their Sunshine State Conference schedule against Barry.

“I’m really excited about it,” O’Connor said. “Making a big move from New Zealand, it’s been a big change for me and it’s been good so far. Things have been great and I’m looking forward to starting this game.”

O’Connor has been bringing energy to the Spartans attack in the past two games, but it did take him time to get adjusted to the Florida climate. The temperature in New Zealand rarely gets above 80 degrees in the summer, so joining the Spartans at the height of summer left was a major difference.

“It’s taken him a little time to get adjusted,” Spartans coach Adrian Bush said. “He’s had to adapt to the heat, but I think he’s adjusted very well. I give him a lot of credit, because he’s a long, long way from home, and he’s doing very well.”

Weather aside, though, Bush said O’Connor has fit right in with his new teammates.

“He’s a very likable buy, great personalty, great spirit, maturity level is very good,” Bush said. “You can tell he comes from not just a good family but a good soccer background. He gets it, he understands the importance of working hard.”

SLIGHT DROP: Tampa dropped to No.5 in the National Soccer Coaches Association of America Division II poll this week after a 1-1 draw against West Florida. Bush said while the performance against the Argonauts was disappointing, he was happy that the side had pulled out a tie, and had appeared to learn a valuable lesson from the game.

“I definitely think we’ve had a great week thus far in training,” Bush said. “I think the attitude is right. You know, it’s one thing to play poorly, we give West Florida all the credit in the world, but we didn’t play well, but the main thing, and I think the maturity of our team, is to understand why we didn’t play well. And it wasn’t about breaking down film or anything, it was workrate, and I think it was a big lesson for them. Thank god it didn’t cost us a loss, but I think it was a wake-up call for them, and we make look back from now and say that was a turning point in our season.”

Midfielder Ryan Griffin said he thinks the reduced pressure of not being ranked No.1 will allow the team to loosen up as it nears the midway point of its season.

“When you’re No.1 in the nation, everyone wants to kill you,” Griffin said. “Now we’re No.5, there’s a little more breathing room, and we can look forward to conference play that starts this weekend.”

CONFERENCE CALL: Barry finished with a 3-4-1 record in SSC play last season, and currently hold a 4-3-1 record entering Saturday night’s game. That doesn’t mean Bush is taking the Buccaneers, or any other SSC opponent, lightly.

“This is what it’s all about,” Bush said. “One of our main goals was to win the conference, and now it’s one game at a time. There’s no easy games, we know that, and we have a lot of respect for all the teams in this conference, but you’ve got to get result, and the eight-game gauntlet starts Saturday.”

Griffin said that while the Spartans had been tested by the games they had faced so far, they were now hitting the critical point of their season.

“The NAIA teams we played were all solid teams, but those games don’t count,” Griffin said. “If you don’t win your conference, or do well in your conference, you’re not going to have a chance to play in the NCAA tournament, so these are the real games. We have eight of them, and we’re looking to win all of them.”