UT Soccer Team Warms Up with Fitzgerald Golf Classic

Tom Fitzgerald's impact can still be felt in the community surrounding the University of Tampa.

Fitzgerald was twice the coach of UT, from 1987-1996 and again in 2004. His second stint with the program after a successful career in Major League Soccer and NCAA Division I, however, was cut short after Fitzgerald was killed in a motorcycle crash in 04'. The golf tournament the men's soccer program holds annually in his name is both a fundraiser a memorial to the great coach.

"This is a special event because it's in Tom's name and it's a time when a lot of us can come together to remember him," baseball coach Joe Urso said. "He was a huge supporter of all the UT programs even when he was away from the school with another job. He was a very special person and an important figure in the school's history."

The tournament's entry fees and proceeds from a silent auction went toward a scholarship for a lucky UT soccer player who is yet to be chosen. The fact that the event is such a success says a lot to coaches like Urso about the sense of community around the university.

"I think it speaks volumes when you can get people to come out to support the program this way because you can see that it means something to them," Urso said. "It just shows that this school is important in the community and that we have a lot of support."

Former graduates, current players, coaches from all the UT sport programs and supporters of the soccer team participated. The event provided a rare chance for players to socialize with alumni and get to know the people that support the team.

"It's a great chance to get everyone together who wears a UT shirt with pride and get to spend some time together," UT midfielder Melvin Andujar said. "It's a pretty cool event because it's good for the fans to get to know us."

This year's Spartan soccer team is a bit younger, boasting a mere seven seniors in its 21 man team. The Spartans have lost their two top goal scorers to graduation, but six starters are returning and the fact that there are no freshman in the squad means that experience is not an issue.

"In preseason we've seen a lot of our guys play which is good because we have a lot of young players," assistant soccer coach Maurice Loregnard said. "We've been evaluating players and now we have to get ready for our first game but I think we'll be ready. We play a lot of good teams throughout the year so the players know what to expect."

The players have gone through a rigorous preseason training schedule in which they've played division one schools. They have worked to prepare for a tough start to the season in which the Spartans will play five of their first six matches away from home, but Andujar feels they're ready for whatever lies ahead.

"It's been a good preseason but we're still coming together," Andujar said. "We've got a lot of players coming in so we're getting settled in with each other but I think we've done pretty well so far and everybody is looking forward to getting the season underway. I believe we're ready."