Spartans to Cap Season with Sunshine State Weekend
10/18/2012 12:00:00 AM | Women's Soccer
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: David Beall, dbeall@uscupstate.edu
SPARTANBURG, S.C. – The USC Upstate women's soccer team will put a lid on the 2012 season this weekend when they travel to the Sunshine State to take on North Florida Friday evening and Jacksonville Sunday afternoon in Atlantic Sun Conference action.
The Spartans are winless in five chances in the all-time series with the Dolphins and have posted a 4-8-1 mark against the Ospreys over the last 12 seasons.
Quick Hits
Wrong Direction: While North Florida has secured a spot in the 2012 A-sun Championship, the Ospreys have backed into their current fifth spot in the league standings with back-to-back losses against Kennesaw State and Mercer. UNF opened conference action unbeaten at 4-0-1 through its first five games, but recent defeats on the road where they were outscored 7-2 have the Ospreys looking to get back on track with postseason looming.
Dolphin Defense at Home: Jacksonville has logged some impressive results at the Ashley Sports Complex, losing just one game at home all year heading into the final weekend of regular season play. While the Dolphins are coming off back-to-back losses in the Peach State, JU has not dropped a home contest since a 2-1 defeat at the hands of Navy the final day of August. The Dolphin defense has been nearly perfect at home with three shutouts in five games.
Scoreless Segment: While the A-Sun Championship is out of reach, the USC Upstate defense has plenty to build on for the 2013 season. The Spartan back line logged 196 consecutive minutes of scoreless action before allowing a second-half goal to Northern Kentucky last Sunday. The shutout streak featured over four straight halves of scoreless soccer, including a shutout of Lipscomb to propel the Spartans to their first A-Sun victory of the season.
Century Mark: Sarah Plantz hit the 100 save mark last weekend with five stops in each contest. The junior goalkeeper continues to pace the A-Sun in total saves and sits tied for 14th nationally. Charleston Southern's Caitlin Cody leads the country in saves with 129, currently one ahead of Howard's Kyra Dickinson.
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About the Opponents
NORTH FLORIDA OSPREYS (6-8-2, 4-2-1 A-Sun)
Matchup: Fri., Oct. 19, 7:00 PM • Hodges Stadium
Live Stats: www.unfospreys.com • Live Video: Asun.TV
Head Coach: Linda Hamilton (North Carolina, '92)
Overall Record: 45-71-11 (7th season) • Record at UNF: 41-62-10 (6th season)
JACKSONVILLE DOLPHINS (6-6-3, 3-2-2 A-Sun)
Matchup: Sun., Oct. 21, 2 P.M. • Ashley Sports Complex
Live Stats: www.judolphins.com • Live Video: Asun.TV
Head Coach: Brian Copham (UAB, '99)
Overall Record and at JU: 47-32-15 (5th season)
