Tampa's second-half dominance shuts out Nova Southeastern

The University of Tampa men's soccer team secured a berth in the 2026 Sunshine State Conference Tournament on Saturday night.

The Spartans defeated Nova Southeastern 2-1 at Pepin Stadium in front of 500 spectators. The win improved the team's overall record to 5-5-4 and their conference standing to 4-3-2. This result gave Tampa 14 points in SSC play.

Nova Southeastern took an early lead in the 15th minute. Erik Krohnstad scored off an assist from Oscar Fernandez. Goalkeeper Alex Hare made two key saves to keep the deficit at one goal through the first half. The Spartans completely changed their defensive approach after halftime. They allowed no shots on goal from the Sharks in the second period.

Tampa equalized just 95 seconds into the second half. Tommaso Polidori converted a penalty kick in the 47th minute. It was his fourth goal of the season. The Spartans dominated possession and shot volume in the final 45 minutes. They outshot Nova Southeastern 8-0 in the second half and 11-5 in the match.

Tassilo Koerner scored the winning goal in the 76th minute. He struck the ball unassisted shortly after a corner kick. Polidori received a red card in the final minute of play. The Spartan defense held the lead until the final whistle. Mason Clark, William Waters, and Taka Onoguchi provided offensive pressure.

Tampa plays its final regular season match on Wednesday, October 28. The team travels to Boca Raton to face Lynn University at 5:00 p.m.