Ospreys Kickoff Season with Exhibition
The two teams battled for 90-minutes with the final result ending in a 0-0 tie.

8/15/2009 8:39:36 PM
JACKSONVILLLE, Fla.-The University of North Florida women’s soccer team officially began the 2009 sports season with an exhibition match against in-state foe University of Tampa at Hodges Stadium on Saturday evening.

The two teams battled for 90-minutes with the final result ending in a 0-0 tie.

“I am very happy with their effort tonight,” head coach Linda Hamilton remarked after the match. “Even though we didn’t score any goals tonight, we didn’t give up any goals. I thought both of our goalkeepers played great tonight. Hopefully, this will lead into improvement for next week.”

Tampa had the edge in shots, outshooting the Osprey 12-to-7, but UNF recorded four shots on goal compared to three by the Spartans.

Each team used a pair of goalies in the match. The Ospreys began the match with senior captain Rachael Howard who recorded all three saves for UNF. Brittany Hahn recorded some minutes between the pipes, tallying 25 solid minutes for the Ospreys.

Offensively, Michele Larrinaga paced the Ospreys with four shots, including two shots on goal, while Anna-Kaye Logan recorded a pair of shots with a shot on goal.

UNF opened the second half of play with a shot on goal from 20 yards out, but the Tampa goalkeeper was able to make a diving stop to harness the Ospreys momentum.

The Ospreys’ best opportunity to score came with 27 minutes remaining in the match. Senior Elena Luzins crossed a good ball but it was just out of reach of a wide open Caitlin Kovacs.

UNF threatened again when Logan rattled a shot from 27 yards that was just off of the mark.

With four minutes remaining in regulation, the Ospreys made two shot attempts with one shot sailing just over the crossbar.

The Ospreys kickoff the regular season with a home match on Friday, Aug. 21, as they take on the Florida Institute of Technology in a match set for 7 p.m. at Hodges Stadium.