Tampa Men's Soccer Ranked No. 11 Ahead of Saturday Heavyweight Matchup
KANSAS CITY, Mo. - Winners of six consecutive matches, the University of Tampa men's soccer program has caught the eye of the United Soccer Coaches (USC), ranking No. 11 in the nation in its latest NCAA Division II Men's Soccer Poll.
"It's good for our conference and program to get national recognition, but being nationally-ranked means zero in winning games in the SSC," says head coach Adrian Bush. "The SSC is our primary focus."
Receiving votes in the previous poll, the Spartans are coming off a pair of road victories in Sunshine State Conference action. Last week, UT notched shutouts over Eckerd College (2-0) and Embry-Riddle University (1-0 2OT). Overall, Tampa stands at 6-1 on the season, allowing just one goal during that span after falling 3-2 to West Florida in the season opener.
The SSC head coaches previously picked Tampa No. 5 of 11 schools in its preseason coaches poll, as the Spartans are now 3-0 in league play.
The Spartans have dominated their opponents in the 2021 season, outshooting teams 97-50. Additionally, the Spartans have outshot their opponent in all seven matches this season.
Goalkeeper Adam Forster has started his Spartan career with five shutouts in his first seven appearances, coming away with 15 saves. A balanced UT offense is led by junior Omar Thali, who has twice been recognized as the SSC Offensive Player of the Week. He currently has team highs with six goals and four assists. Juancho Fernandez has added three goals and two assists, while Till Neumann is the other Spartan with multiple goals (2) on the season. In all, a total of eight Spartans have scored a goal in 2021.
At No. 11, this marks the highest ranking for Tampa since opening the 2017 season at No. 8. The program is no stranger to the national rankings as the three-time national champions have now been ranked a total of 12 seasons. This is the 113th weeks UT has been ranked, and the 76th time it has appeared in the top-15.
The University of Indianapolis sits at the top spot in the week four rankings, as SSC opponent Lynn University comes in at No. 6. NCAA South Region foe Lee is ranked No. 18 while Nova Southeastern makes it three SSC schools in the rankings at No. 20. Saturday's opponent, Palm Beach Atlantic, is listed as receiving votes after being ranked in the first three installments of the national rankings.
UT and PBA are set to meet on Saturday at 7 p.m., at Pepin Stadium.