By Matthew Restrepo
TAMPA, Fla. — The University of Tampa women’s soccer team suffered a 2-0 loss, its second straight loss of the season, to the Embry-Riddle Eagles. Overall, the Spartans had a 2-2-1 record and a 0-1 conference record on Sept. 24.
Both teams started strong, putting pressure on each other defensively. Spartan Lilly Nava, sophomore forward, missed a shot towards the top left of the goal, and Jalen Haas, sophomore forward, missed a shot towards the top of the goal.
Eagles junior midfielder Lauryn Mateo scored a goal during the 21st minute. This was the first shot for the Eagles in the game. After that, only the Eagles had shots the rest of the half.
Eagles freshman forward Lena Daase scored shortly after Tampa was offside in the 43rd minute.
Early in the second half, the Eagles had multiple chances to score, maintaining control of the game.
The Spartans generated pressure on the Eagles towards the end of the game with three shots. Haas had two shots on target, with one being tipped over the crossbar and the other to the bottom left. Brielle Johnston, freshman forward, had a shot near the crossbar.
There were no penalties during the full 90 minutes, but the Spartans committed five fouls and the Eagles committed nine.
Before the game, Spartans’ head coach Erin Switalski talked about the leadership the team presents with 16 returning players and 14 new players.
“I’ll give our returners a ton of credit because they’ve really, really, really, really found ways to bridge a lot of those gaps quickly, you know, and relationships aren’t created overnight,” said Switalski.
Liam McIlhatton, head coach of the Eagles, said that it is difficult to come to Tampa because the Spartans are athletic and will play with pressure. He thought his team followed through with their game plan well by being “attack-minded” and challenging the Spartans.
“We’re looking to beat the defender and then get the crosses in,” said McIlhatton.
His first conference win came against the Spartans in 2022, and the Spartans have not beaten his team yet.
The Spartans had six shots and the Eagles had nine. The Spartans had chances with seven corner kicks while the Eagles had eight.
Kate Russell, senior forward, said she is pleased with the effort the girls put in until the end. Yet, Tara McDonald, sophomore forward, added that it was not what they wanted in the end.
“This gives us a lot of momentum moving forward and lights a fire under our team to work harder,” said McDonald.
The Spartans remain last in the conference but have the same number of wins as the Eagles. Their overall statistics consist of four goals and a shot percentage of .070 in their five games played
The Spartans won their first two games on the road and tied another. Their first loss came against the West Florida University Argonauts, 10 days before their loss at home.
On Saturday, the Spartans will play the Palm Beach Atlantic University Sailfish, who are 1-3-3. The Spartans aim to get a win against the Sailfish for the first time in two years.
“Our goal is always, as soon as the final whistle blows, we look to the next one,” said Russell.
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Photo courtesy of Hannah Walls.