Spartans Sink Sailfish with Two Second Half Goals to Win 2-1

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. – The University of Tampa women's soccer team came back from a 1-0 deficit at halftime to defeat Palm Beach Atlantic University by a 2-1 final score at the Rinker Athletic Campus. Robyn-Anne Whittaker and Nastasia Asgedom scored the second half goals to lead the comeback.

INSIDE THE MATCHUP:

Final: Tampa 2, Palm Beach Atlantic 1

Records: Tampa (2-6, 1-2 SSC), Palm Beach Atlantic (4-3, 1-1 SSC)

Location: Rinker Athletic Campus | West Palm Beach, Fla.

All-time Series: Tampa holds a record of 11-1-0 against PBA

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HOW IT HAPPENED:

1st Half | In the first 10 minutes of play, it was Tampa who had more of the ball and played on the PBA end of the field with the better opportunities to go up on the scoreboard. Both sides would then settle down and fight in the midfield with neither side being able to get any concrete chances on target. In the 33rd minute of action, PBA took a 1-0 lead as Gemma Burrul took a shot from outside the box that floated up and over the outstretched hand of UT keeper Caroline Frykgard and into the back of the net. The Spartans trailed the Sailfish 4-3 in shots and 2-1 in corners as they tried to build momentum going into the break.

2nd Half | Tampa started out the half with more energy as they chased the 1-0 deficit. The Spartans used the right wing to attack the Sailfish defense and had a handful of crosses into the box that fell short of finding their final target. With just over 25 minutes left in the game, Frykgard had a key save on a shot from distance to keep the deficit at one. Shortly after, Robyn-Anne Whittaker took advantage of a ball that was played between the PBA goalkeeper and central defender who crashed into one another to get to the ball first and put it in the back of the net to tie the score up at 1-1. Frykgard was called into action again with just over 10 minutes to go in the game as she stopped a shot and recovered to get back the loose ball that kept the game level. Tampa kept up the pressure as they had back to back shots with five minutes left in the match. The final burst of energy from the team paid off as Miranda Gonzalez ran into the box and was taken down from behind in the box and was awarded the penalty. Nastasia Asgedom stepped up for the shot and got it into the back of the net despite the keeper guessing right and getting a hand on the ball.

INSIDE THE STATS:

• Whittaker scored her first goal of the season in the match while Asgedom is now 2-2 on penalty kicks this season as she scored the game-winning goal in this match from the spot.
• Despite PBA having a 7-4 advantage in shots on goal, UT was able to make the most of their chances and came out on top.
• The Spartans handed PBA their second home loss of the season and snapped the three-game win streak the Sailfish were on coming into tonight. 

BEYOND THE BOXSCORE:

• The Spartans have won every contest against Palm Beach Atlantic since 2006, with the exception being 2009 when the two schools did not face off.
• Six different players have scored this season for Tampa.

UP NEXT:

The Spartans will travel to Lakeland, Fla. on Wednesday, Sept. 28 to take on Florida Southern. Kickoff is scheduled for 7 p.m. The Mocs last played on Wednesday, Sept. 21 as they defeated Eckerd 1-0 in St. Petersburg, Fla.

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