South Florida Men's Soccer Opens League Play Against No. 6/3 SMU On ESPNU

Game Details: Friday, Sept. 22, Tampa, Fla., 5:00 p.m. ET
TV: ESPNU

TAMPA (September 21, 2023) – The University of South Florida men’s soccer (2-4, 0-0 AAC) opens league play against No. 6/3 SMU (6-1, 1-0 AAC) on Friday night at Corbett Stadium. Kickoff is slated for 5:00 p.m. and the match will be televised nationally on ESPNU.

SETTING THE STAGE

The Bulls have won two of their last three matches and Jalen Anderson leads USF with 3 goals on the year. SMU has won five of their last six games to start the season. In the Mustangs’ last match, they opened conference play with a 2-1 victory against Memphis.

SOUTH FLORIDA-SMU SERIES

USF is 5-8-4 in the all-time series against SMU, the pairing extends back to the 2004 season. The Bulls are looking for their second home win against the Mustangs. The first home win occurred in part with the first-ever meeting on Sept. 17, 2004 (3-0, W USF). In the last clash, South Florida topped SMU, 1-0, (Nov. 10) in the AAC Tournament.

LAST TIME OUT

South Florida topped Elon 2-1 this past Sunday night (Sept. 17). Thirty minutes into match play, Elon managed to get on the board first. Then midway through the second frame, the Bulls hit their stride. In the 74th minute, Jalen Anderson netted the equalizer. Just seven minutes later, Anderson struck again to put USF up 2-1. Ajmeer Spengler had a foot on both assists for South Florida.

ANDERSON RAKING IN THE HONORS

Honor Roll: Jalen Anderson, Gr., ST, South Florida (Sept. 11)

SCOUTING THE MUSTANGS

Three Mustangs earned Top Drawer Preseason All-American honors: Jelldrik Dallman – Second Team, Mads Westergren – Third Team, and Jaylinn Mitchell – Freshman. Dallmann is SMU’s leading scorer with four goals and has two of the team’s six game-winners.

PROMOTIONS

Friday night’s game is the program’s Salute To Service Matchup, which features $4 hot dogs for veteran and military members and South Florida t-shirts for the first 500 fans.

A LOOK AHEAD

South Florida hits the road for a two-game road swing, which starts at FIU on Friday night (Sept. 29) at 7:00 p.m.

USF ATHLETICS HALL OF FAME

Alumni Jeff Attinella has been selected as a member of the 2023 USF Athletics Hall of Fame Class and will be inducted on Thurs., Nov. 9. Attinella is one of two student-athletes to receive that honor in USF men’s soccer history. An NSCAA First-Team All-American goalkeeper (2009), a three-time All-Region selection, and three-time Big East All-Conference honoree, earning first-team honors in both in 2009, Attinella played on four NCAA Tournament Teams and helped lead the 2007 team to the NCAA Sweet 16 and the 2008 team to the NCAA Elite Eight.

TICKETS
Fans can purchase men’s soccer tickets by calling 1-800-GoBulls or at USFBullsTix.com.

WATCH THE BULLS
All of South Florida’s home regular season matches will once again be streamed live on the ESPN+ platform. Subscriptions for the ESPN+ app is $9.99 monthly or $99.99 annually and can be packaged with Hulu and Disney+ streaming services. A step-by-step guide for subscribing to ESPN+ is located here.

Matches will also be broadcast live on USF Bulls Unlimited, with Darek Sharp on the call. Bulls Unlimited is available via the free Tune In app (search “Bulls Unlimited”) and provides static-free quality whether you’re listening on your streaming device, laptop, or desktop.

ABOUT USF MEN’S SOCCER
To stay up-to-date on the latest USF Men’s Soccer news, follow the Bulls on social media (Twitter | Facebook | Instagram).

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 22 NCAA Tournament appearances, including 3 trips to the elite eight.

The program also has a strong reputation within the professional game and boasts 30 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. Men’s Soccer has two Alumni in the USF Athletics Hall of Fame: Fergus Hopper and Dan Holcomb, with Jeff Attinella joining as part of the 2023 class.