In addition to Takase, Shion Soga was named First Team, Salvatore Mazzaferro Second Team; Josh Gomina was an All-Rookie selection.
IRVING, Texas (Nov. 9, 2021) – The University of South Florida men’s soccer team is well represented on The American postseason All-Conference Team with four players earning honors, the league announced on Wednesday. Highlighting the Bulls’ honorees is 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.
Takase, who only played in eight of the Bulls’ 15 matches this season due to injury, still proved to be one of the top keepers in The American. The junior from Tomoto, Japan, had 35 saves on the year and logged a .778 save percentage which was tops in the conference at the end of the regular season. He was also third in the AAC in save percentage (.778) and total saves.
Takase’s season-high eight saves against Memphis on Oct. 15 were his most since he recorded a career-best 11 at No. 14 Central Florida on Feb. 20, 2021. On the year, he posted a 4-2-2 record and was 4-1-1 after returning from his injury on Oct. 9, including a 2-0-1 mark in his last three outings.
Soga finished the season second on the Bulls in points scored with 10, on three goals and four assists, with his assists marking a team-high. A midfielder from Aichi, Japan, Soga was named the conference Offensive Player of the Week for the week ending, Oct. 15, after posting his second of two three-point performances (1g, 1a) of the season. He also accomplished the feat in the season opener against Jacksonville on Aug. 26.
Soga, however, may be best membered this season for his spectacular goal in South Florida’s thrilling 4-3 overtime win over Central Florida on Oct. 27 in Orlando.
Mazzaferro has been a force all season on the defensive side of the ball, anchoring the Bulls’ defense that was third in the conference in goals allowed (29). A resident of Toronto, Canada, Mazzaferro also helped South Florida to three saves on the year. Offensively, Mazzaferro recorded two assists, with those coming against Memphis on Oct. 15, and at Central Florida on Oct. 27.
Gomina showed extraordinary potential, skill, and athleticism during his rookie campaign with the Bulls. A winger from Sampa, Ghana, Gomina tallied two points on two assists, coming against Jacksonville on the season-opener and Stetson on Sept. 10. A versatile player, he has seen time as a winger and an outside back. Gomina can cover a tremendous amount of distance, and has established a reputation as an outstanding one-on-one defender who rarely got beat in those situations.
South Florida finished the 2021 campaign with a 6-7-2 record and a 4-5-1 mark in The American. The Bulls were the hottest team in the conference down the stretch posting a 4-1-1 record in their last six matches and were 2-0-1 in their last three outings.
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.
USF Soccer concluded the 2020 season with four players earning AAC honors, highlighted by first first-team selection Josue Monge and Salvatore Mazzaferro who was tabbed a second-team selection. Also, Oscar Resano and Brian Schaefer were named to the American Athletic Conference All-Rookie Team. Head coach Bob Butehorn returns to lead USF in his fifth season on the sidelines.
–#GoBulls –
