PREVIEW: 2024 SSC Men’s Soccer Tournament Semifinals
On Thursday, #1 Lynn will take on #5 Tampa and #3 Rollins will host #7 Barry
Phil Wood | Sunshine State Conference
MELBOURNE, Fla. - [MSOC Tournament Page] - The first round of the SSC Tournament is in the books. #1 Lynn University made easy work of Eckerd College, winning 6-0 and setting up a meeting with #5 University of Tampa who defeated Nova Southeastern University in penalty kicks. The other semifinal will feature #7 Barry University who upset #2 Florida Tech, as they travel to Winter Park to take on #3 Rollins College, a team that defeated Palm Beach Atlantic University 4-1 in the quarterfinals.
Lynn and Tampa will meet in Boca Raton on Thursday, November 14, at 6 p.m., while Rollins and Barry will meet in Winter Park on the same day at 4:30 p.m.
Watch both games on the SSC Digital Network.
CAN THE FIGHTING KNIGHTS KEEP THEIR PERFECT SEASON ALIVE?
The Lynn Fighting Knights are the top-ranked team in the nation, and they've yet to lose a game this season. They currently boast a record of 13-0-2, and they've allowed just nine goals this season.
The Fighting Knights advanced past the Eckerd Tritons thanks to a massive offensive effort. Domink N'gatie scored two goals, while Max Lambertz, Luis Kiefer, and Fabian Vyhhnalek each scored one goal and assisted on another. Jan Rohrling and Marco Costa each recorded two assists. Tony Gomez scored Lynn's other goal, while Lucas Vila and Anton Mand each added assists [Box Score].
The Spartans path to the semifinals was much more stressful than the one faced by the Fighting Knights. They battled the Nova Southeastern Sharks for 110:00 minutes of scoreless action that saw goalkeeper Alex Hare make eight saves.
With nothing settled through two overtimes, the Spartans and Sharks continued their contest in penalty kicks. Thanks to made shots from Theo Maye, Pablo Marques, Rodrigo Lopes, and Viggo Svedin, the Spartans advanced 4-3 [Box Score].
THIS SEASON...
These two teams met in Boca Raton on October 5, with the Fighting Knights earning the 2-0 victory behind second-half goes from Gomez and N'gatie [Box Score].
CAN THE TARS DEFEAT THE BUCCANEERS AGAIN?
The Barry Buccaneers pulled off the upset of the first round, defeating the #2 Florida Tech Panthers 2-0. Stefan Momcilovic got the scoring started in the first half, netting a goal thanks to an assist from Scott Neil. Neil then scored the second goal of the game in the 57th minute. He was assisted by Uros Vulovic [Box Score].
Behind two goals from Jorge Lameiras, the Tars took down the Palm Beach Atlantic Sailfish 4-2 to advance to the final four of the SSC Tournament. It was the Sailfish who started the scoring behing a Augustin Iusem goal in the 32nd minute. From there it was all Tars.
Lameiras scored in the 40th minute thanks to an assist from Yousef Shakweer. Just over a minute later, Shakweer scored a goal of his own to give the Tars a 2-1 lead. Lameiras scored on a penalty kick in the second half to stretch the lead to 3-1, then Finlay Prain finished off the scoring in the 76th minute. Jordan Prouix and Pedro Lamieras each recorded assists [Box Score].
THIS SEASON...
The Tars and Bucs met on September 28 in Miami Shores. Pedro Lameiras scored the first goal of the game in the 26th minute, then Mikkel Fodstad scored a second first-half goal to give the Tars a 2-0 lead heading into the break. Lucas Silva scored for the Bucs in the second half, but Tars' goalkeeper Jabari Gray made four saves to secure the victory [Box Score].