Just like that the 2012 regular season has come to an end for the University of Tampa men’s soccer team.
Over the course of the regular season, the team developed and became a contender within the Sunshine State Conference.
After finishing last season with a disappointing record, the Spartans were determined to rise to the top of the SSC once again and show that UT was once again a force to be reckoned with.
“Even with last year’s record, we brought back 90 percent of the same guys,” Coach Adrian Bush stated. “People said they couldn’t win. I stood by our guys, they stuck together and worked hard, and have been rewarded for their effort.”
Last Thursday’s 5-0 win over conference foe St. Leo was the culmination of all the hard work the players have put in during this season and a tribute to the five Seniors who were playing in their last home game.
Earlier in the season, St. Leo beat UT 3-0 and the Spartans made sure to avenge that shutout loss this time around.
“It was amazing to beat St. Leo the way we did after losing earlier,” junior goalkeeper David Niepel said. “The win sent off our seniors in the right way.”
Not only was the St. Leo victory a great way to end the regular season for the Spartans, but it also allows the team to ride the momentum of the huge win into the postseason.
An old adage in sports is when it comes to postseason play, it is not always the best team that wins it all but it is usually the team that is playing best at the moment. The postseason will be extremely difficult for the Spartans due to the difficulty of the Sunshine State Conference.
“The SSC is the best conference in the country and it’s not even close,” Coach Bush stated on the level of the competition heading into the conference tournament. “There is so much at stake with every game.”
Out of the nine teams in the SSC, there are four teams (including UT) that have won 10 or more games during the regular season.
Even the teams who have not won 10 or more games will be tough competition for the Spartans in the conference tournament. Teams such as St. Leo and Barry both have fewer victories than the Spartans, but both have recorded victories over the team this season.
“We have to be ready for every team,” Niepel said. “Every team has different strengths and we have to overcome those to win.”
As they have done all season, the men’s soccer team will have to rely on its defense and the leadership from the team’s upperclassmen.
Leadership from more experienced upperclassmen can be vital towards a team remaining focused and playing to its true potential.
“Practice is really competitive and is important to stay focuses,” Niepel said on how the team is preparing for the postseason. “It is win or die now and it’s important to get that in the players’ heads.”
If the Spartans can make it through the SSC tournament, they will progress to the NCAA Division II tournament, which in some ways may be a welcomed change for the Spartans.
After playing top-notch competition during conference play, the Spartans will be ready to play any team from any conference.
Furthermore, the goal for every team is to win at the national level and it is no different for the Spartans. However, all of this is irrelevant if the UT falters in the conference tournament.
Tampa has been working all season to get to this point. It is up to them to determine their fate. The team is capable of making a deep postseason run, but it’s just a matter of performing at the high level they have displayed throughout the regular season.
The SSC tournament begins Nov. 2, where the Spartans will play the winner of the Florida Tech/Rollins quarterfinal matchup.
J.P. Haney can be reached at johnpatrick.haney@spartans.ut.edu.