For the first 73 minutes of the game, the University of Tampa women’s soccer team played toe to toe with the twelfth ranked team in Division II soccer.
The Spartans, however, could not hold off the Columbus State Cougars for a full 90 minutes, and gave up a goal that upset the careful balance of power that had kept the game locked for so long.
The game was so balanced, in fact, that the Spartans only held a one shot lead over the Cougars by the end of the game. UT keeper Leah Cesanek made four saves while Willi Babillis blocked all seven of the Spartan’s shots on goal.
The lone goal came on a corner kick with just 17 minutes to play in regulation. Tampa certainly gave Columbus State all they could handle.
Despite losing due to another late letdown, the Spartans made a statement on Sunday afternoon at Pepin Stadium. They showed the soccer world that any team in the SSC can play with the best.
Since the beginning of Division II Women’s soccer in 1988, the Sunshine State Conference has claimed five national titles, tied for the most of any conference (Franklin Pierce College won five titles in six years for the Northeast 10 Conference in the 80s).
In the past four years, the conference has sent at least one team to the Sweet 16 three times, appeared in the Final Four twice, and had one national champion.
“Our conference both on the men’s and the women’s side is very close to the top conference in the country,” said Tampa Head Coach Gerry Lucey.
“Having eight teams that are in the hunt for the playoffs each and every year alone helps us all to prepare for any other competition outside of the conference.”
Due to the high level of competition, all eight schools have a less than friendly rivalry with each other, but maintain respect for what every other team is capable of.
“Personally, I never tried to reach out and be friends with anybody else in my conference because they were my rivals and my enemies. But, if we did lose, you did want somebody from the SSC to go on and win it – someone you played against,” said former Spartan goalkeeper Shannon Aitken.
Coach Lucey believes that the level of competition that SSC teams face in the season better prepares them for Regionals and the NCAA tournament.
“Whoever can make it out of our conference has a great chance of, obviously, winning the Regional, and going on to the national stage,” Lucey said.
“If you want to be a top team, you have to play against the best opposition in the nation.”
Perhaps the Spartans’ improvement throughout the tough season is beginning to pay off in non-conference play.
The recently dormant Spartan offense came alive in Friday night’s game against Palm Beach Atlantic.
Although PBA packed most of their players in on defense in hopes of getting a counterattack goal, the Spartans rattled off 19 shots, ten of which were on goal, and two goals, including one by senior Pasquale Anderson; the first of her career.
Carolyn Simon put the Spartans ahead for good in the 36th minute, hustling to put away a rebound off the crossbar.
“I was very happy,” Coach Lucey said of the win.
“Palm Beach came in here pretty basic, putting eleven players behind the ball thirty yards out from their goal. Their game plan was to come in here and pretty much just park the bus in front of the goal, and we had to unlock it.”
The Spartans unlocked the bus against the Sailfish and may have opened the offensive flood gates for good after this non-conference stretch thanks, in part, to senior Luana Miessa.
In the past two games, Miessa has rocketed off a team leading nine shots. Though she has not had a goal, testing the keeper may give her teammates more opportunities to put the ball in the net.
The Spartans have a date with Lynn in Boca Raton on Friday, Oct. 22.
Despite a 5-5-2 record and a young squad, Coach Lucey says that in the SSC, any team could beat any other team on any given day.
Tampa wraps up the season with two home games, including a tough matchup with the number five team in the country, Rollins.
This conference opponent will certainly come to play and will not be knocked off its perch atop the SSC easily, but as we know, in the SSC, anything can happen.
Davis Fox can be reached at davison.fox@spartans.ut.edu.