Bulls gets rematch with Louisville in first round; First appearance for USF since 2016
TAMPA, NOV. 18, 2019 – The University of South Florida men’s soccer team (11-6-1*; 4-3 AAC*) earned the program’s 21st NCAA tournament invitation on Monday and the program’s first since the 2016 season.
The 2019 NCAA tournament bracket of 48 teams was announced early Monday afternoon and slated the Bulls for a rematch with Louisville (8-7-2; 3-4-1 ACC) in a first-round match set for Thursday at 7:30 p.m. at Dr. Mark & Cindy Lynn Stadium, the Cardinals’ home pitch. The winner of that match will travel to face No. 14-seed UC Davis (13-4-2; 5-1-1 Big Sky) in the second round. ACC champion and seven-time NCAA champion Virginia (17-1-1) earned the No. 1 overall seed.
The complete 2019 NCAA Men’s Soccer tournament bracket can be viewed HERE.
USF bolstered its NCAA tournament resume early in the season with a 2-0 defeat of then No. 5-ranked Louisville at Corbett Stadium on Sept. 9. USF made a run to the American Conference Tournament semifinals last week and pushed No. 10 -ranked SMU to the brink before falling, 2-1, in the double-overtime semifinal matchup.
USF posted a 4-3 mark in American Conference action on the year and posted some big wins in the nonconference season to help earn a No. 30 standing in the RPI going into the NCAA Tournament. The Bulls also battled No. 1-ranked Maryland on the road before falling, 1-0, in the season opener.
Louisville downed then No. 2-ranked Indiana (2-1), No. 9-ranked Kentucky (3-0) and No. 2-ranked Georgetown (1-0; 2OT) in its nonconference slate and knocked off No. 17 Virginia Tech (2-1) and No. 21 North Carolina (1-0) in the conference campaign. Louisville is No. 23 in the latest RPI.
Four Bulls earned all-conference recognition, including first-team selections Avionne Flanagan (Baltimore, Md.) and Javain Brown (Kingston, Jamaica). Adrian Billhardt (Berlin, Germany) was tabbed a second team selection and Brown, along with Salvatore Mazzaferro (Toronto, Canada) were named to The American All-Rookie Team.
Quotable
“I’m really excited for the guys, no doubt about it. They were on pins and needles there, as all of us were, just not knowing, but it’s really good. They put a good season together and they deserve what they got. We’re looking forward to going to Louisville.”
“I think we did a pretty good job. We were rewarded by the committee for putting a good schedule together and then playing well in that schedule.”
“I think it’s gonna be a tough place for us to go and play, but the guys are definitely looking forward to it. It will be, for us, another good challenge.”
“In general, the kids have been really focused on getting a job done. They set their sights on getting to the NCAAs. They set their sights on getting a trophy, and they got one out of two. I’m really happy for them. I think they’ve been a focused group all year and I’m just looking forward to seeing how they respond to the next step.”
- USF head coach Bob Butehorn.
Notable
• This will mark the 21st NCAA tournament appearance in program history and first since 2016.
• USF last advanced out of the first round in 2012, reaching the second round.
• The Bulls reached the NCAA tournament Elite Eight in 2011, the third Elite Eight appearance in program history.
• This will mark USF’s 12th NCAA Tournament appearance since 2001, including a string of seven straight appearances between 2007-13. The Bulls made their first appearance in 1969.
Up Next
USF will take on Louisville in the first round of the NCAA tournament in Louisville, Ky., on Thursday, Nov. 21 at 7:30 p.m.
* USF’s overall and American Athletic Conference records include a 2-1 win over Tulsa that counts towards AAC standings but is not recognized by the NCAA. Click here for details.
– #GoBulls –
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