After combining for just one shot in the first half, both offenses showed up in the second half. However, it was North Florida edging the USC Upstate men's soccer team by a score of 2-1 on Friday night at County University Soccer Stadium.
In the 17th-minute, North Florida's Patrik Lippe beat Upstate goalkeeper Jason McCabe (Irmo, S.C./Dutch Fork), but freshman defender Derek Dearmond (Austin, Texas/Austin) was there to steal the ball away from Lippe and keep the match scoreless.
Upstate nearly took a 1-0 lead in the 19th-minute, but Hakeem King (Port of Spain, Trinidad/St. Mary's College) lost control of the ball and it was scooped up by the Osprey goalkeeper, Andrew Calise.
In the 57th-minute, North Florida got on the board when Enrique Haeussler scored from the left side of the box to give the Ospreys the 1-0 advantage. Haeussler was assisted on the goal by Ricky Lawrence.
In the 76th-minute, the Spartans tied the match at 1-1, when Maurice Beggs (Arima/Trinidad/Middle Georgia College) scored on Timo Foerster's (Oberkirk, Germany/Hans Furler Gymnasium) corner kick from the left side. It was the third goal of the season for Beggs and the fifth assist of the season for Foerster.
The match remained a tie for just five minutes, as the Ospreys scored in the 80th-minute on a loose ball in the box. Adam O'Neill's second goal of the season, that put North Florida in front 2-1, proved to be the game-winner in Friday's match.
North Florida was called for 14 fouls and one offsides penalty, while Upstate committed 11 fouls and was whistled offsides three times. The Ospreys also lead the way in corner kicks by a 10-3 margin.
Each team took a total of five shots in the match. Osprey goalkeeper Andrew Calise made two saves, while Spartan keeper Jason McCabe made one.
Upstate will return to action on Sunday afternoon when they host Jacksonville at 2:00 p.m.