Tampa Secures First SSC Victory

Box score

TAMPA, Fla. - The University of Tampa (5-6-1, 1-1 SSC) women's soccer came out on top on Sunday afternoon against Lynn University (6-5, 1-2 SSC) as the match ended in a 2-1 decision for the Spartans.

Tampa's first goal came from junior Megan Tobin at the 48:37 mark off a penalty kick. Tobin placed a perfect ball into the upper left corner out of reach of the Fighting Knights keeper Kelsey Butler. It was Tobin's fourth goal on the season as the PK was awarded after teammate Brittan Spence was taken down inside the box..

The Fighting Knights tied the score in the second half when Brittany Evernden crossed a high ball and Melissa Ortiz headed it in, just out of the reach of Tampa's goalkeeper Kendall Bourdon.

Freshman Sara Kneeland scored the game winning goal when she followed her own shot off a Butler save. It was Kneeland's fifth goal on the season putting her second best on the team behind Jazmin Perry.

Bourdon registered three saves for the Spartans in 90 minutes of play.

Following the victory, head coach Gerry Lucey had this to say. " The girls have been putting everything they have onto the field. We have been on the wrong end of the scoreboard too many times this season after outplaying and outshooting our opponents. The girls know that they have deserved and earned better than some of the results we've had. I have always been extremely proud of this group and am 100% behind them. We played some really good soccer today and once again took the game to the opponent. Lynn have proven a difficult opponent once again and I'm sure will upset someone along the way. They came into the game well rested today after playing last Tuesday. We had a difficult game on Friday night in Fort Lauderdale and the energy the girls provided today is a testament to their grit and determination to succeed. We have such a young group out there learning the ways of college soccer, and pushing hard to get Tampa back into the regional and national picture. Our young team will provide some surprises this year and have already pushed some of the top 20 teams hard. We are on the right path back to being one of the top programs in the nation and will hopefully rebuild this team to stay there for a long time."

The Spartans return to action on Friday against Florida Southern in SSC play at 5 p.m.

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