Men's Soccer

Men's Soccer Advances to ASUN Title Game in 3-0 Victory Over No. 3 FGCU

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. - No. 2 North Florida men's soccer's (7-7-3, 4-2-1) explosive offense was on full display on the biggest stage in a 3-0 shutout victory against No. 3 Florida Gulf Coast (4-10-3, 3-3-1) on Monday evening at Hodges Stadium.

First-Team All-ASUN selection Joaquin Acuna stepped up in a big way with a pair of goals for his third brace of the season, as well as four goals in his last two games played. David Perez, who was a fellow First Team All-ASUN selection, added the third goal late in the second half to solidifying UNF's place in the conference championship.

On top of the offensive output, the Ospreys shined on defense by adding its fourth shutout of the year, along with its third in the past four matches. Luciano Natoli notched a career-high six saves to clinch a date with No. 4 Central Arkansas on the ASUN Championship final this upcoming weekend.


GOALS

7' | Joaquin Acuna (Jaylen Yearwood & Anton Khelil) - UNF
27' | Joaquin Acuna (Rentaro Miyakawa & Pedro Amancio) - UNF
54' | David Perez (Pedro Amancio & Anton Khelil) - UNF


HOW IT HAPPENED

  • The first shot of the match from either side came quick and in scoring fashion with Acuna punching one in to take an early 1-0 lead.
  • A couple shots were attempted by both teams before Acuna struck again to secure a brace within 27 minutes with a highlight bicycle kick.
  • No shots on goal were allowed by the Osprey defense through the entirety of the first half, as they took a 2-0 lead into the break.
  • FGCU attempted a shot out of the gates in the second half, but it went wide left for the Eagles.
  • Just after the FGCU miss, Perez worked his way through traffic and set himself up with a terrific goal scored in the top left corner of the net to push the lead up to three scores.
  • The shots on goal poured in for FGCU after UNF increased its lead, but Natoli was ready for every attempt made to keep the shutout alive.
  • In the 74th minute, Acuna had the opportunity to record his first-career hat trick, but an Eagles' save kept the score at 3-0.
  • Three saves from Natoli in the final seven minutes finalized the 3-0 score for UNF to send them to the championship game on this upcoming Saturday evening.


RECORDS

North Florida | 7-7-3, 4-2-1
Florida Gulf Coast | 4-10-3, 3-3-1


QUICK KICKS

  • First ASUN Championship title appearance since the 2015 season, where they beat USC Upstate, 7-0.
  • Also the third win against FGCU in program history and first since 2016.
  • After falling in each of the last four postseason appearances against FGCU dating back to 2014, UNF added its largest margin of victory against the Eagles in program history as well.
  • Acuna recorded his second brace in as many games, as well as his third this season.
  • The senior brings his scoring total on the year to nine goals after finishing the regular season as the conference's leader.
  • Another ASUN leader was Rentaro Miyakawa in assists, who added his seventh with the second score in the 27th minute.
  • Both Pedro Amancio and Anton Khelil added two assists each as a part of all three goals scored in the postseason match.
  • Jaylen Yearwood added an assist to his total to now give the Ospreys eight players with multiple assists this season.
  • Perez scored his sixth goal of the year in the second half to give him and Acuna 15 combined goals over the past eight games played against ASUN opponents.
  • Natoli added six saves for a career-high mark and posted a shutout for the fourth time on the year.


COACH'S COMMENTS

"What a team performance tonight from the guys. They prepared well all week and adjusted to every scenario. The conference tournament games require every ounce of energy and they left nothing in the tank! We recover now and get ready for Saturday.

The team would like to thank the Jacksonville community, all alumni and the whole UNF student body who came out and supported us tonight! We could feel the energy and they were our 12th man tonight! We will need them again on Saturday night!"
-- head coach Jamie Davies


UP NEXT

The Ospreys will host its final match of the season with the ASUN Championship title game being played against No. 4 Central Arkansas on Saturday, Nov. 16, with kickoff set for 7 p.m., at Hodges Stadium.