Oct. 5, 2008

Box Score

Spartanburg, S.C. - North Florida capitalized on its scoring chances Sunday afternoon at County University Soccer Stadium, putting three goals in the net to take a 3-0 victory over USC Upstate in A-Sun men's soccer action.

North Florida improved to 5-5-0 overall and 2-0-0 in the A-Sun. Upstate fell to 1-9-0 overall and 0-2-0 in the league. The nine-game losing streak by the Spartans is the longest in school history, exclipsing last year's eight-game skid to open the season.

USC Upstate goalkeeper Patrick Regna faced 13 North Florida shots Sunday afternoon, many without any help from his defense who left him one-on-one with an attacking player. Despite a valiant effort from the junior from Rochester, N.Y., the Ospreys found the back of the net three times.

Regna kept North Florida off of the scoreboard midway through the first half when Akil DeFreitas, the Ospreys' leading scorer, got behind the defense and went one-on-one with Regna. Regna charged off his line, coming out nearly 15 yards to deflect DeFereitas' shot and save the goal.

North Florida cracked the scoreboard in the 32nd minute when Osprey keeper Tony Restino played a long punt to Upstate's side of the field. DeFreitas gathered the ball and went on a breakaway, again going one-on-one with Regna. This time, DeFreitas was able to put a shot by the Spartan keeper and into the left side of the net to give UNF a 1-0 lead.

North Florida nearly made it a 2-0 game with less than two minutes to play when DeFreitas again got behind Upstate's defense and played an angled shot from the left that hit the post and bounced away from the goal.

Upstate and North Florida each took five shots in the first half. Restoni and Regna each made two saves in the opening 45 minutes to lead their teams.

Regna continued his solid play early in the second half when Adam O'Neill played a pass to an open DeFreitas on the right side of the box. DeFreitas fired a shot to the left of Regna, but Regna made a diving save to keep the score 1-0 in the 48th minute.

However, North Florida would strike shortly after when DeFreitas and O'Neill again went 2-on-1 with Regna, but the result was different and DeFreitas drew Regna to him on the right side of the box. He played a cross to O'Neill in the middle of the box and O'Neill put the shot over a retreating Regna and into the back of the net for a 2-0 Osprey lead in the 49th minute.

Upstate came close to getting a goal back in the 71st minute when Chad McCoy took a cross from the left and played a shot towards the goal. However, Restino was there to make a diving save to keep the Spartans off of the scoreboard. North Florida ended the scoring in the game in the 84th minute when Mikhail Awai stole the ball from an Upstate defender and played a pass to O'Neill who put a hot past a diving Regna from eight yards out to give the Ospreys a 3-0 lead.

Regna finished the game with six saves on 13 North Florida shots. Restino recorded a shutout after making three saves on nine Upstate shots.