Tampa Spartans Clinch SSC Tournament Spot With 2-1 Win Over Nova Southeastern
A late penalty kick and a defensive shutdown in the second half secured the conference berth for the Spartans.
By Anthony Hoffmann ·
The University of Tampa men’s soccer team secured a berth in the 2026 Sunshine State Conference Tournament following a 2-1 victory over Nova Southeastern on Saturday.
The match took place at Pepin Stadium before a crowd of 500. Nova Southeastern opened the scoring in the 15th minute when Erik Krohnstad finished a chance assisted by Oscar Fernandez. Spartan goalkeeper Alex Hare limited the damage in the first half with two key saves, keeping the deficit to a single goal at the break.
Tampa reversed the momentum immediately after halftime. Tommaso Polidori converted a penalty kick in the 47th minute to equalize, marking his fourth goal of the season. The Spartans dominated the remainder of the contest, outshooting the Sharks 8-0 in the second half. Tassilo Koerner provided the winning goal in the 76th minute with an unassisted strike following a corner kick.
Despite a red card for Polidori in the final minute, Tampa’s defense maintained its lead through the final whistle. The result improves Tampa’s overall record to 5-5-4 and their conference record to 4-3-2. The win brings the Spartans to 14 points in Sunshine State Conference play.
The team completes its 2026 regular season on Wednesday, October 28. They travel to Boca Raton for a 5:00 p.m. match against Lynn University.
Source: WHBO
