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: Four locals among signees for University of Tampa women

Four players from Pinellas County are in the University of Tampa Women’s incoming class for 2010 as the school unveiled the players it had signed on Monday evening.

Palm Harbor’s Ashlin Cook and Shannon Walisch and Seminole’s Megan Lawrence and Casey Merson all signed with the Spartans last week.

Spartans coach Gerry Lucey said in a press release that he was very happy with the caliber of player he was bringing into the program. All four local players will compete for their respective schools this week at the FHSAA Girl’s Soccer State Final Four at the University of Tampa’s Pepin Stadium

“I am really happy and excited to announce these NLI signees as part of our 2010 class,” Lucey said. “We have in addition three other incoming players (enrolled in the spring of 2010) that will help push our program forward and back into the national spotlight. I am delighted that we have secured their commitment and look forward to working with them this fall. We have an exciting future ahead of us and I hope that we can fulfill our own expectations. We will have great depth and individual talent again and should compete once more for conference, regional and national titles.”

The full class can be found here.

Preps: Confidence key for Terrapins in Region Final

TAMPA – Tampa Prep's girls are hoping the biggest thing to come out of their Class 2A-Region 3 semifinal victory against Bradenton St. Stephen’s on Tuesday evening will manifest itself on Friday night as the Terrapins try to return to the state final four for the third successive season.

That thing? Confidence.

For a while, the Terrapins were a side somewhat lacking in self-belief. After putting aside some early jitters again on Tuesday, though, Coach Cindy Schofield believes the side is now ready to face the challenge West Palm Beach King’s Academy will pose them in the region final at 6 p.m.

“I think beating St. Stephen’s was a huge confidence-booster because we hadn’t really had any big wins on the year yet, so that was a big win for us,” Schofield said before the Terrapins drove south on Thursday evening. “Now we believe in ourselves, we believe in the team and we believe we’re going to win against anybody.”

Terrapins captain Jackie Rosenthal pointed to the youth on the side, with a number of sophomores playing key roles, as part of the reason for the dips in confidence the side has had.

“We’ve been playing against a lot of very hard teams, and we’ve been battling, so I don’t think everyone believes in ourselves as much as they should,” Rosenthal said. “I think the St. Stephen’s game taught us that we are capable of winning, and if we come together and we relax and we play to feet we can do it.”

Rosenthal’s return to the side for the past three games, the first the Terrapins win in the district final, has certainly provided a boost. After suffering a slight tear in her left meniscus, Rosenthal made the decision to return to the field to help her team any way she could. Schofield said as much as the Terrapins needed her abilities in the center of midfield, they needed Rosenthal’s vocal leadership on the field more.

“Her leadership role on the field was what we missed the most,” Schofield said. “She’s just our vocal leader on the field, when things are down she picks the girls up. Obviously then we can move Amber (Miller) back into defense, and it makes our backline a lot stronger, because Amber kind of slid into that center-mid role to cover for Jackie, so moving Amber back, our back four plus (goalkeeper) Jordan (Hatton) is awesome.”

Hatton has also been a pivotal player for the Terrapins. One of only three seniors on the side this season, Hatton’s leadership has come to the fore. The standout goalkeeper attributes that to the example she was set as a young player in the Terrapins’ program.

“Having those girls when I was younger above you as someone to look up to, I think it helped a lot,” Hatton said. “As I’ve gotten older, now that I’m a senior, I want to win more and I think I know what it takes. I know that I need to be the person the set the pace, to say that we need to step it up or we need to do better and just take control.”

Taking control early is exactly what the Terrapins will need to do against a King’s Academy side that has posted a pair of impressive victories to reach Friday’s region final. Schofield, though, believes her side is up to the task.

“We’ve been working on building their confidence week-in and week-out and practice and just making them believe in themselves, and they do,” Schofield said. “They’re ready.”

Can’t get to West Palm Beach for Tampa Prep’s region final? Follow the Tampa Bay Soccer Blog at twitter.com/tbsoccerblog for live game updates from 6 p.m. on Friday night.

Rowdies announce final combine schedule

The Tampa Bay Rowdies have announced the schedule for their final player combine, which will begin on Tuesday afternoon at the Ed Radice Sports Complex.

The format is similar to that of the first combine, the principal difference being the start time, with 1 p.m. starts scheduled for Tuesday and Wednesday’s sessions. The final day of the combine will begin at 9 a.m.

Tampa Spartans coach Adrian Bush said in a text message his three graduating All-Americans, goalkeeper Ryan Thompson, defender Dan Ingvarsson and midfielder/forward Pascal Milien would be among the 44 players invited to the combine after none were selected at the MLS Draft on Thursday afternoon.

Colleges: Spartans finish No.5, three named to All-South first team

The University of Tampa men have finished the season ranked No.5 in the nation after the final National Soccer Coaches Association of American poll was released, and saw three players named to the NSCAA All-South first team.

Goalkeeper Ryan Thompson, defender Dan Ingvarsson and forward Pascal Milien were honored by the NSCAA, with defender Kyle Williams and midfielder Lister Warren being named to the second team. The Spartans finished the season 17-3-1, and were ranked in the Top 10 for the duration of the season.

Also named to the All-South team were Saint Leo midfielder Bruce Cutler and Eckerd midfielder Anthony Arico and forward Luke Sheekey.

Colleges: Ingvarsson named First Team Division II All-American

The University of Tampa’s Dan Ingvarsson was named to the Daktronics NCAA Division II All-America team, leading a group of four Spartans honored this season.

Ingvarsson provided not only stability in the center of the Spartans defense with Kyle Williams, but was also a key to the Spartans offense with his free kicks. Ingvarsson scored five goals, and added seven assists, primarily from set pieces as the Spartans reached the Elite Eight of the NCAA Division II tournament.

Also honored were forward Pascal Milien, who was named to the second team after leading the Spartans with 12 goals and 31 points for the season, and Lister Warren, who had 11 goals to be named to the third team. Goalkeeper Ryan Thompson, who was previously named the Sunshine State Conference Goalkeeper of the Year, was an honorable mention.

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.

College Matchday: No.10 Tampa at No.9 Lees-McRae

WHEN: Saturday, 7 p.m., Banner Elk, N.C.

NEED TO KNOW: The University of Tampa will try to return to the NCAA Division II Final Four for the second consecutive season as the Spartans travel to face Lees-McRae.

The Bobcats are led by Berin Boracic, who was named the Southeast Region Player of the Year on Tuesday after scoring 15 goals and adding eight assists this season. The Bobcats also saw defenders Luke Duffy and Dale Parker and goalkeeper Sean Paradise named to the Southeast first team, an indicator of the strength the Bobcats possess at the back.

Tampa’s Pascal Milien will be the key player charged with breaking down that defense for the Spartans. Milien has been spectacular this season, scoring 12 goals and adding seven assists, using his speed and skill to break down opposing defenses. He has been ably assisted by Lister Warren, who has added 11 goals, and Greg O’Connor, who has recorded seven assists. Also with seven assists is Dan Ingvarsson, who will likely play a critical role in trying to close down Boracic, and also in creating chances for the Spartans from set pieces.

Colleges: Seven Spartans named to All-South team

Seven members of the Tampa Spartans’ mens soccer team have been named to the Daktronics All-South Region team, including five players on the first team. According to Spartans coach Adrian Bush, it is the most the Spartans have ever had named to the team.

Goalkeeper Ryan Thompson, defender Dan Ingvarsson, midfielder Lister Warren and forwards Pascal Milien and Greg O’Connor were named to the first team, while defender Kyle Williams and midfielder Ryan Griffin were named to the second team.

The Spartans will try to advance to the NCAA Division II Final Four, which they will host, when they travel to face Lees-McRae College on Saturday in Banner Elk, N.C.

Other locals named to the team included former Berkeley Prep standout Thomas Biddinger, who was named to the first team after a strong junior season with Rollins, while Eckerd’s Luke Sheekey was named to the second team. On the women’s side, Saint Leo’s Hannah Beard and Sara Macko were named to the second team.

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.

College Matchday: No.10 Tampa at No.5 Rollins

WHEN: Sunday, 1 p.m., Cahall-Sandspur Field

NEED TO KNOW: Tampa will try to earn a little revenge on the only team to defeat it in the regular season as it tries to advance to the NCAA Division II Tournament South Region final against Rollins.

Rollins won the first meeting 3-2, the Tars jumping out to a 3-0 lead before the Spartans rally through goals by Dan Ingvarsson and Greg O’Connor fell short. The Tars subsequently lost twice, both to Barry, but earned their revenge for those defeats with a 1-0 win against the Buccaneers in Friday’s 1-0 overtime victory, Daniel Salazar scoring the only goal with just over three minutes to play before the game went to a shootout.

Tampa will look to make a far better start than they did in their first game against the Tars, as they were able to in their 3-1 win against Lynn on Friday. Pascal Milien gave the Spartans an eighth-minute lead against the Fighting Knights, and while Lynn tied the game 11 minutes later, Jordan Moses soon restored the lead before Chris O’Brien added a late insurance goal.

The winner of Sunday’s game will face the winner of Lees-McRae and Anderson (S.C.), who also play Sunday at 2 p.m.

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: Thompson brings joy, intensity to Spartans net

TAMPA – The first thing anyone notices about University of Tampa goalkeeper Ryan Thompson is his smile.

It’s almost ever-present whenever he’s in a social situation, which Thompson feels is anytime he’s awake. According to Spartans coach Adrian Bush, by the end of his first week on campus as a freshman Thompson knew, and was known, by everyone on campus.

“He’s the one guy on campus that everyone on campus knows,” teammate Lister Warren said. “He’s that kind of kid. Probably the most popular guy on campus.”

When asked about his popularity around the UT campus the smile on the face of the man known as “Godzilla”, or “Gadda” for short, gets even wider.

“That’s the way I was raised,” Thompson said. “My mom, she’s a friendly person, she likes to talk, I get that from her, I like to socialize. It’s a part of me.”

Also part of the native of Kingston, Jamaica was a long-standing love of sports. A striker whenever he played soccer, he also played other sports like cricket growing up. It wasn’t until he was 13 that he first played in goal.

“One day my friend had a team, and they didn’t have a goalkeeper, so I said, ‘why not, I’ll try it’,” Thompson said. “It worked for me at that point. So I went and tried out for a team, and I made it, but I was one of worst people there, but after practicing and practicing, applying myself, it started working for me.”

Working so well that by 2004 he was playing for the Jamaican Under-20 national team. When he first came to Tampa, Bush said he saw that his latest recruit was raw, but had unbelievable ability. Thompson became a captain of the Spartans as a freshman, and Bush believes the leadership he has shown in his career with the team has spoken volumes about what sort of person Thompson is.

“His leadership was, I think, the biggest thing that we gained with him,” Bush said. “I think he’s not let anyone down in that aspect. He’s one of, I think, three people who have been captain at this university for all four years. I was one of those with him, and I think players like that are hard to come by, but he just hasn’t come in with great athletic ability. What he’s brought to the table off the field with his character and with, really, showing the younger players how to be a champion is the biggest influence he’s had with the team.”

Thompson credits his work ethic, and his attitude, to his mother. He grew up in one of the toughest neighbourhoods in Kingston, a ghetto known as ‘the Garrison’. Life was understandably hard, with little money, not much more opportunity, and everyone looking to find a way out. Thompson described life there as ‘a constant battle’, and saw his way out through sport, drawing inspiration from the way his mom never lost her joy despite working hard every day for little reward.

“Every day I got up, she’s always there working, she’s always working, always working,” Thompson said. “She never complains, she’s always smiling, and I don’t get it. She don’t have money, she don’t have a lot of material things, she can’t get it, but what she’s got is a smile and love for her kids, love for her family and that’s something I found very important, and I thought, ‘if my mom can do it in our place, I can do it,’ and I’ve made every effort to. I got those qualities from her.”

And those qualities have been shared with everyone on the UT campus. If there is a “Big Man On Campus” under the minarets, it is Thompson, who draws in friends like moths to a flame and enjoys every minute of it.

“It’s the best thing that’s happened to me,” Thompson said. “People want to be around you, and once people want to be around you, that makes you a positive environment, that makes you feel, ‘oh my god, I’m actually important here’. When I leave this place, people are always going to remember me, not only for my soccer, but for how I make them feel. There’s always joy coming from me, and I want to share that, because that’s what I can give right now.”

As fun-loving and happy he is off the field, he is as competitive when he steps onto it. Bush likens him to mixed martial arts heavyweight Fedor Emilienko, who also has a very laid-back, personable nature away from the arena, but becomes a very different person when the opening bell rings.

“I think he possesses a lot of that as soon as the whistle goes,” Bush said of Thompson. “When he’s in game mode, it’s all business, and that’s how it should be. Players that are going to make it in this game, that’s the way it has to be, and that’s why I’m confident that he will play beyond this year, but I think he’s really focused on what he’s doing right now, and bringing our university a championship.”

And a championship is what’s at the forefront of Thompson’s mind right now as the Spartans prepare to open the NCAA Tournament against Lynn on Friday evening.

“At this present moment, all that is on my mind is winning a national title,” Thompson said. “Whatever work I put in, hopefully it will manifest itself in the future, so if I put in that much work I’m sure something might happen in the future. It would be great if I turn pro, but at this present moment, I’m living in the moment. I’m at the University of Tampa, I don’t want it to finish, but really and truly, winning a national title to see the job my teammates did is the only thing I’m focused on right now.”

Colleges: Spartans mens, Lions women both head to Rollins for NCAA opening rounds

The University of Tampa men and Saint Leo women will both travel to Rollins College for the opening weekend of the NCAA Division II Soccer tournament. Both brackets were revealed on Monday evening.

No.8-ranked Tampa will face a familiar foe Lynn in the opening round of the tournament on Friday at 4:30 p.m., with another pair of SSC teams making up the other half of the bracket as host Rollins takes on SSC champion Barry.

The Spartans defeated the Fighting Knights 2-1 in double-overtime in the regular season. Lynn has struggled a little since that loss, falling in the quarterfinals of the SSC tournament to Nova Southeastern. The Spartans also defeated the Fighting Knights in the NCAA Tournament last season.

"That's what I thought it would be," Spartans coach Adrian Bush said. "I think it was pretty laid out as to what would happen with the criteria set forth and how they determine it. I think the four teams in there are deserving, Rollins is certainly deserving to host. It's a great region, we've got a lot of respect for all of those teams, the only one we're looking at right now is Lynn which is a fantastic team and very well coached, a lot of very good quality players on their program."

Bush added that he believed if Tampa had won the SSC Tournament against Barry on Sunday, the Spartans would have gotten to host the opening two rounds, but that was now water under the bridge, and the team was looking forward.

"We've got to head to Rollins and get a result on Friday to play in the championship on Sunday," Bush said.

The Lions women will also face SSC opposition in the first round, with Florida Tech their opening opponent in the South Region at 7 p.m. on Thursday. Rollins will wait for the winner, earning a first-round bye after their victory at the SSC Women’s Tournament.

The No.15 Panthers defeated Saint Leo 1-0 in double-overtime when they met in the regular season. They fell to Florida Southern 2-0 in the semifinals of the SSC Tournament on Friday in their last contest.

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.

College Matchday: Barry at No.8 Tampa

WHEN: Sunday, 1 p.m., Pepin-Rood Stadium

NEED TO KNOW: The University of Tampa will try to win its second Sunshine State Conference tournament title when it takes on Barry. The Spartans previously won the title in 2007, and enter Sunday’s final as the favorite after their 3-0 victory against Nova Southeastern in Friday’s semifinal.

Lister Warren continued his recent run of form against the Sharks, and has now scored five goals in the last two goals. That has him tied with Pascal Milien for the team lead in goals, as both now have 11. The Spartans earned a 2-1 victory over the Buccaneers in their prior meeting this season, Brian Fekete and Milien scoring the goals for the Spartans on that occasion.

The Buccaneers advanced to the final with a 1-0 win against No.1 seed Rollins on Friday, the goal coming with just under three minutes to play. The Buccaneers are the only side to defeat the Tars this season, earning victory in the regular season in addition to Friday’s victory. The Spartans will need to watch out for Mark Anderson, who has scored 15 goals in 19 games this season.

Colleges: Spartans advance to SSC championship game

If the University of Tampa needed a reminder of what could happen in its Sunshine State Conference semifinal against Nova Southeastern, it had only to watch the first game played at Pepin-Rood Stadium on Friday night.

There, the No.4 seed Barry scored in the 87th minute to defeat No.1 seed Rollins to earn its place in Sunday’s final.

The No.2 seed Spartans had no such difficulty with the No.6 seed Sharks as Lister Warren scored twice off first half set pieces to lead Tampa to a 3-0 victory.

Tampa took the lead in the 11th minute as Warren headed home from Pascal Milien’s corner kick. The Spartans then doubled their lead in the 33rd minute, Dan Ingvarsson’s free kick allowing Warren to head home again.

The Sharks forced more pressure in the second half, but were unable to cut into the Spartans lead as SSC Defensive Player of the Year Ryan Thompson made seven saves to earn his fifth shutout of the season. Milien added the Spartans third goal of the night with 15 minute to play, giving the Spartans the opportunity to win their second SSC title in three years.

The Spartans will face the Buccaneers at 1 p.m. on Sunday afternoon at Pepin-Rood Stadium. Tampa defeated Barry 2-1 in the regular season meeting between the two teams in September, Milien and Brian Fekete scoring for Tampa.

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: Thompson leads Spartans on SSC First Team

The University of Tampa’s Ryan Thompson was named the Sunshine State Conference Defensive Player of the Year for the second consecutive season, and was one of four Spartans named to the SSC All-Conference First Team on Thursday afternoon.

Joining Thompson on the first team were forward Pascal Milien, midfielder Lister Warren and defender Dan Ingvarsson as the Spartans had the largest contingent of any school on the first team. Midfielder Ryan Griffin, forward Greg O’Connor and defender Kyle Williams were also named to the second team.

Eckerd’s Luke Sheekey was named to the first team, while Saint Leo’s Jonathan Glenn earned second team honors.

On the women’s side, Saint Leo’s Hannah Beard and Sara Macko were both named to the All-Conference first team, while the Lions’ Francesca Williams and Dari Alcantara were named to the second team and Pia Soesemann was an honorable mention.

Polls: Spartans rise to No.8, Bulls slip to No.13

South Florida slid four places to No.13 in the latest National Soccer Coaches Association of America Division I poll released on Tuesday afternoon, while the University of Tampa rose one spot to No.8 in the Division II poll.

The Bulls fell 2-1 in double-overtime to Rutgers in their final regular season contest to enter the postseason with a record of 12-3-2. While they finished third in the Big East Red division, the Bulls are the third-highest ranked Big East team in the poll, with only No.5 Louisville and No.8 Connecticut ahead of them.

Tampa enters the postseason 14-1-1 after a 5-1 drubbing of Saint Leo last Thursday night. The Spartans earned a share of the Sunshine State Conference title with the win, and will host the SSC tournament final four this weekend at Pepin-Rood Stadium.