Bulls make quick work of the Tigers behind Jeffrey “JT” Copper, Josue Monge, and Oscar Resano
MEMPHIS, Tenn. (March 13, 2021) – The University of South Florida men’s soccer team made quick work of the Memphis Tigers on Saturday night en route to its fourth-straight win, dominating Memphis, 3-1.
The win improves the Bulls to 4-2 on the year and a 4-2 mark in American Athletic Conference play. The Tigers fall to 1-4 overall and 1-4 in The American.
USF dominated from the opening kickoff holding the advantage on shots in the first 45 minutes, 11-4, including a commanding 7-1 margin in shots on goal. The Bulls finished the match leading 18-12 in shots and 9-4 in shots on goal.
Jeffrey “JT” Copper, made a statement early with a big chance in the second minute with a big banger that went just wide right of the post. Copper, however, didn’t miss on his second opportunity beating the Tigers’ keeper, Parker Lackland, on a rebound off a Richard Laval shot in the 12th minute, putting USF up 1-0.
Just three minutes later, Victor Claudel was taken down in the box, drawing the Bulls’ first penalty kick of the season. Josue Monge was called to the spot where he drove the ball past Lackland to the bottom right corner.
Oscar Resano closed out the first-half scoring in the 30th minutes with a low liner to make the score 3-0 heading into the break.
After being frustrated offensively most of the night the Tigers finally got on the board in the second stanza, when a throw-in found the foot of Michael Chappelear in the 65th minute, making the score 3-1.
Memphis had an opportunity to cut the lead to one, but the low liner was punched aside by USF’s Kazuna Takase in the 73rd minute for one of his three saves on the night. That proved to be the last chance of the evening for the Tigers.
Scoring Summary
USF – JT Copper (Richard Laval; 11:02)
USF –Josue Monge(PK, Unassisted; 14:11)
USF – Oscar Resano (Unassisted; 29:48)
UM – Michael Chappelear (Unassisted; 64:54)
1 2 F
USF 3 0 3
MEM 1 1 1
Shots: USF 18, MEM 12
Shots on Goal: USF 9, MEM 4
Saves: USF 3, MEM 6
Corner Kicks: USF 3, MEM 5
Fouls: USF 18, MEM 19
Notable
- USF’s win over Memphis improves its record in the all-time series to 18-4-4 … Also, the Bulls are now 6-1-3 all-time against the Tigers in Memphis.
- For the third-straight week, the Bulls have had multiple freshmen find the back of the net.
- The win against the Tigers also marks USF’s first four-match conference winning streak since the 2016 season.
Up Next
USF will close out its two-match road trip next Saturday, March 20, when it travels to Dallas to face SMU at 8 p.m. ET (ESPN+). The Bulls will return home on March 27 when they welcome UCF to Corbett Stadium. Kickoff is slated for 7 p.m. (ESPN+).
About USF Men’s Soccer
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USF Men’s Soccer competed in the school’s first ever intercollegiate athletic contest on Sept. 25, 1965, beating Florida Southern 4-3. Since then, the oldest program on campus has built a winning tradition, claiming 14 conference championships and making 21 NCAA Tournament appearances, including 3 trips to the elite eight.
The program also has a strong reputation within the professional game and boasts 27 MLS draft picks. Notable alumni include two-time MLS Golden Boot winner Jeff Cunningham, USA 1994 World Cup star Roy Wegerle, and 2013 MLS Cup winner Dom Dwyer.
The Bulls have advanced to the postseason in 18 of the past 19 years, including 12 NCAA Tournament appearances during that period.
USF Soccer concluded the 2019 season with an 11-7-1 overall record, earning an at-large NCAA Tournament bid. Four players earned AAC honors, highlighted by first team selections Avionne Flanagan and Javain Brown. Adrian Billhardt was tabbed a second team selection. In addition, Brown and Salvatore Mazzaferro were named to The AAC All-Rookie Team. Head coach Bob Butehorn returns to lead USF in his fourth season on the sidelines.
– #GoBulls –
