JACKSONVILLE, Fla., - The North Florida Ospreys made an appearance in the Atlantic Sun Conference (ASUN) Men's Soccer Championship Final for the second consecuitve year and earned their second conference tournament title under Head Coach Jamie Davies after defeating the Bellarmine Knights, 3-2, in overtime, inside Hodges Stadium.
Rentaro Miyakawa opened up the scoring for the Ospreys with a goal at the 46:47 mark. He recorded his fourth goal of the season to give UNF an early lead. The Ospreys carried their 1-0 lead into halftime. Two minutes into the second half, sophomore midfielder Anton Khelil found the net to put UNF ahead, 2-0. The Osprey offense continued to pressure Bellarmine's defense, racking up 11 shots on goal in the second half. The Knights scored their first goal of the night at the 79:23 mark when Johan Nissen-Lie slid one past Luciano Natoli to cut the Ospreys' lead to 2-1. Two minuets later, Rhys Davies tied things up for the Knights with nine minuets left. The Gold and Graphite Division Champions reamined tied as the clock ran out in regulation. In overtime, the UNF struck quickly. Paul Schacherer, assisted by Rafa Rios, scored the final goal at the 91:16 mark to secure the win for North Florida..
With their victory, the Ospreys have earned the automatic bid to the 2025 NCAA Men's Soccer Tournament. UNF awaits the selection show which airs on NCAA.com at 1 PM ET on Monday, Nov. 17.
All-Tournament Team
Anton Khelil, North Florida
Rentaro Miyakawa, North Florida
Tyler Prebenda, North Florida
Paul Schacherer, North Florida
Rhys Davies, Bellarmine
Jackson Marks, Bellarmine
Johan Nissen-Lie, Bellarmine
Juan Pablo Gonzalez Jacksonville
Christian Sekanina, Jacksonville
Giuseppe Croce, Stetson
Nicolo Radaelli, Stetson