Mazzaferro and Schaefer were named to the All-Conference Second Team by the league’s head coaches.
TAMPA (Nov. 9, 2022) – The University of South Florida men’s soccer team placed two players on the American Athletic Conference Postseason All-Conference Team, the league announced on Wednesday, with junior Salvatore Mazzaferro and Brian Schaefer named to the Second Team.
Mazzaferro, a resident of Toronto, Canada, has been a force all season on the defensive side of the ball, anchoring the Bulls’ defense that has helped South Florida to three shutouts on the year and two Top 25 wins against No. 14/21 Tulsa (2-1) on Oct. 9 and No. 22/14 Charlotte (2-1) on Oct. 25. This is the third time during his career that Mazzaferro has earned Second Team honors. He was named The America Defensive Player of the Week for the week ending Oct. 10.
Schaefer, who is from Atlantic Beach, Fla., joins Mazzaferro on the Second Team after scoring five points (2g, 1a) which are tied for third on the team, while his two goals scored are also tied for third on the roster. Schaefer’s two goals came against Temple in a 2-1 win on Sept. 24 and against FIU in a 3-3 draw on Oct. 16, but it may have been his lone assist on the year, at Charlotte, that was the biggest highlight. With less than 10 seconds left in the match, Schaefer’s throw-in was placed perfectly into the box where it found a leaping Oscar Resano who headed the ball into the goal for the win with two seconds left on the clock.
South Florida is currently 7-5-4 on the year and finished their American Athletic Conference slate with a 5-1-3 record. The Bulls, the No. 3 seed in The American Tournament, advanced to the semifinal round with a 2-1 win over sixth-seeded Charlotte on Nov. 6 at Corbett Stadium. The Green and Gold now face No. 2-seeded, and No. 13-ranked SMU on Thursday at 4 p.m. (ESPN+) at the FIU Soccer Stadium in Miami. The winner will meet the winner of the second semifinal match between No. 5 Memphis and top-seeded FIU in the championship on Sunday at 1 p.m. (ESPN+).
The Bulls, one of the hottest teams in collegiate soccer, are in the midst of a four-match winning streak and are unbeaten in 10 of their last 12 matches.
The semifinal and championship match of the American Athletic Conference Tournament will be carried live on ESPN+. Subscriptions for the ESPN+ app are $6.99 monthly or $69.99 annually and can be packaged with Hulu and Disney+ streaming services. A step-by-step guide for subscribing to ESPN+ is located here.
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 29 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 20 years, including 12 NCAA Tournament appearances during that period.
The University of South Florida men’s soccer team was well represented on the AAC postseason All-Conference Team in 2021 with four players earning honors. Highlighting the Bulls’ honorees was the American Athletic Conference Co-Goalkeeper of the Year, Kazuna Takase, along with first-team selection Shion Soga. In addition, Takase was also selected to the All-Conference Second Team along with Salvatore Mazzaferro, and Josh Gomina was named to the AAC All-Rookie Team.
–#GoBulls –
