Men's Soccer | 11/4/2022 4:04:00 PM

MIAMI SHORES, Fla. -- The top-seeded Barry Buccaneers are hosting the second-seeded Florida Tech Panthers for the 2022 Sunshine State Conference men's soccer championship on Sunday, Nov. 6 at Buccaneer Field at 1:00 pm.

Game Coverage Links

Game	Date	Stats	Broadcast
#2 Florida Tech	Sunday, Nov. 6; 1:00 pm

Barry (10-2-3, 6-1-3, 21 pts) won the 2022 Sunshine State Conference regular season title. They finished one point ahead of both #2 Florida Tech and #3 Lynn, who each finished with 20 points. The regular season crown was Barry's fifth overall and their first since they shared the title with Rollins in 2010.

After receiving a bye in the semifinal round, the Bucs only had to win one game to get to the title match. They were able to take care of business against the defending-SSC Tournament champions, Nova Southeastern, by a final score of 2-0. Both of their goals were scored by David Polanco, who found the back of the net in the 26th minute and then again in the 29th. His first score was assisted by Peekay Stoffle while the other was assisted by Daniel Schaal [Box Score].

Florida Tech (10-0-6, 5-0-5, 20 pts) has yet to lose a game this season, either winning or tying in all 16 matches. The impressive regular season earned them the #2 seed in the SSC Tournament and a bye to the semifinals. In the semifinals, they hosted #6 Tampa and defeated them 2-1. 

The Panthers struck first against the Spartans behind Jack Edwards' goal in the 16th minute. It was assisted by Jacopo Ghezzi. Tampa's Omar Thali tied the game in the 67th minute, before Florida Tech's Franco Sala Grigioni connected with Julen Lefuente for the game-winning goal in the 77th minute [Box Score].

THIS SEASON...

These two teams met all the way back on September 10th. It was the first conference game of the season for both teams. The game ended in a 2-2 draw. Florida Tech's Ghezzi scored off a pass from Edwards in the 10th minute to put the Panthers up 1-0. Barry's Schaal answered in the 58th minute off a pass from Pascal Sattleberger. The Panthers retook the lead in the 72nd minute when Ettore Casadei scored. He was assisted by both Gene Lewis and Fabio Amaral. Sattleberger ended the scoring with a goal in the 79th to even things up for the final time [Box Score].

PLAYERS TO WATCH...

For Barry… With two goals in the semifinals against the Sharks, First Team All-SSC selection Polanco scored his ninth and tenth goals of 2022. Polanco was joined on the All-SSC First Team by his teammates Schaal and Iker Berruezo. Defender Jordi Ramon was selected to the All-SSC Second Team, while Nicolas Villalobos was named the SSC Freshman of the Year.

For Florida Tech… The Panthers had four players earn All-SSC honors this season, including goalkeeper Luis Tovar Romero who was named the SSC Defensive Player of the Year. He was joined on the All-SSC First Team by his teammate defender Sjur Drechsler. Amaral and Tomas Casas were both named to the All-SSC Second Team.

SERIES HISTORY…

Barry holds a 22-17-4 edge in the all-time series, that has seen its share of swings. The Bucs hold the most recent win in the series, defeating the Panthers 3-1 in 2021. The two teams have met in the SSC Tournament twice. Both meetings came in the quarterfinals, with Barry winning both matchups. They defeated the Panthers 4-2 in 2003 and 3-0 in 2009. Barry went on to win their first title in 2009.

This marks Barry's seventh appearance in the SSC title game. They hold a record of 2-4 in championship games. In their last appearance in 2018, they lost 1-0 to Palm Beach Atlantic. Their most recent SSC Tournament title came in 2013 when they needed penalty kicks to get the trophy over Lynn.

Florida Tech has never won the SSC Tournament, though they have made the title game twice. Their most recent trip to the championship game came in 2014 when they lost 3-2 to Lynn University.