NASHVILLE, Tenn. – A first half score by Florida Gulf Coast in today's Atlantic Sun Conference Championship game proved the difference as the North Florida men's soccer team lost, 1-0 this afternoon at the Lipscomb Soccer Complex. The Ospreys finish the season with an overall record of 8-7-1.
Florida Gulf Coast wins their third A-Sun title in four years and gets revenge on the Ospreys who knocked them out on the 2013 tournament in Fort Myers. The Eagles improve to 8-6-5 and receive an automatic bid into the 2014 NCAA College Cup.
"A credit to Gulf Coast they were the aggressors and better team today," said Head Coach Derek Marinatos. "I don't think we defended particularly well in the first half, and we had too many turnovers which did not allow us to sustain possession and put pressure on them."
Wet weather and muddy conditions slowed down the natural playing surface and ultimately both offenses in the match. The Ospreys were held scoreless for the first time since Oct. 18 after netting eight goals in two previous postseason games. Only six of the game's 19 shots were on net.
The game's lone goal came off the foot of Will Suedois in the 35th minute. The defensive midfielder carried the ball from the right side of the field, created space and ripped a shot that was just out of reach of the outstretched hands of Kyle Nasta. The goal for Suedois was the first of the season for the sophomore from Nice, France.
It was not an unfamiliar spot for the Ospreys who went into halftime of the regular season match against FGCU down, 1-0. North Florida came out and scored twice to earn a 2-2- draw.
After the halftime break, the Ospreys offense started to gain momentum and managed to unleash all seven shots in the final 45 minutes of play. Perhaps the best chance for the Ospreys came in the 72nd minute when Camilo Garcia chipped a ball over goalkeeper Nathan Ingham only to have it deflect off the far right post.
FGCU made a critical mistake in the 80th minute when Santiago Echeverri ran into goalkeeper which drew an immediate red card. The Ospreys played the final 10 minutes of the game with a man advantage but were only able to generate two scoring chances on the tightly compacted FGCU back line.
"In spite of not playing well we were able to create one quality chance in the second half where Camilo (Garcia) hit the post and also gained a man advantage but unfortunately we were not able to capitalize."
Nasta made four saves in a losing effort and allowed his first goal in more than 370 minutes of play. The 2014 Atlantic Goalkeeper of the Year headlined a quartet of Ospreys listed on the All-Tournament Team. Senior Diogo Quirino, Milan Kovacs andJay Bolt each received All-Tournament honors voted by the participant coaches and media members.
"We continue to set new standards with the program and make strides, having improved every year," added Marinatos. "I'm proud of our late run and especially want to thank the work of my staff, Josh Dunn and Andrew Barth who are integral in our success on and off the field. We hope to be even better next year and get to the NCAA tournament."
For the second-straight season, Marinatos has led the Ospreys to an Atlantic Sun final and a record above .500.