St. Petersburg, Fla. – The University of Tampa men’s soccer team logged the first win of the season on Wednesday night at Eckerd College, by a final score of 2-1. With the victory, head coach Adrian Bush ties Tom Fitzgerald as the all-time winningest coach in school history.  

INSIDE THE MATCHUP:

Final: Tampa 2, Eckerd 1

Records: University of Tampa Spartans (1-2-3, 1-1 SSC) vs. Eckerd College Tritons (2-4-1, 0-2 SSC)

Location: Johnson Field || Saint Petersburg, Fla.

All-time Series: Tampa leads 36-10, UT has triumphed in back-to-back seasons. 

HOW IT HAPPENED:

2nd Half | Richards salvaged the game for the Spartans with his performance as he logged three saves, on nine total shots, in the second half. Agustin Pertusso scored his third goal of the season for Eckerd in the 59th minute. The match came down to the finish as Richards made a save against Liam Guest in the 87th minute to hold onto the 2-1 lead. 

QUOTING COACH ADRIAN BUSH

“Tonight is all about these players and I am so happy for them. Their work and commitment to the process has been there all season. Eckerd is a great team and this was a battle from start to finish. It’s last game/next game in this league – Our focus now turns to PBA on Saturday.”

INSIDE THE STATS:

• Six starters played the entire 90 minutes for the Spartans. 
• The Tritons were charged with five yellow cards compared to UT’s lone card given to Julius Becker.
• Richards‘ is tied for fourth in UT history, in terms of all-time wins (18) by a goal-keeper.

UP NEXT: The University of Tampa will host No. 5 Palm Beach Atlantic on Saturday night, kickoff is scheduled for 7 p.m.

Tickets: General Admission ticket prices for all Tampa regular season athletic events are $5. Youth (ages 12 and under) are admitted free of charge. Students and faculty/staff are admitted free with a valid UT ID.