Andres Freire records a two-goal night; Bulls outscore the Hatters, 19-1, in the win.
TAMPA (Sept. 10, 2021) – The University of South Florida men’s soccer team took advantage of an early Stetson red card and made quick work of the Hatters as the Bulls posted a convincing 3-1 win on Friday night at Corbett Stadium. South Florida improves to 2-2-1 on the year, while Stetson falls to 0-3-2.
The Hatters went a man down in the 14’ when Gio Rodriguez was sent off after a physical play on the Bulls’ Joergen Thue Kristiansen (Holmestrand, Norway). It then took Jeffrey “JT” Copper (Tampa, Fla.) just two minutes to strike when he received a cross from Josh Gomina (Sampa, Ghana) and buried it in the back of the net for what was eventually the game-winner. It was Copper’s first goal of the season.
Andres Freire (Sarasota, Fla.), who logged a career performance in just his fifth collegiate outing, ended the first half with a spectacular lofting bender from 25 yards out in the 40’, just over the fingers of Stetson keeper Jacob Gruber. The goal, the first of two on the evening for Freire, was set up by an outstanding ball from Nicolas Scargle (Clearwater, Fla.).
The Bulls took the lead and a dominating 7-0 shot advantage into the locker room at the break.
South Florida kept the pressure up in the second half, and it didn’t take Freire long to make his presence felt again, with his second goal of the night – a header – in the 51’, the assist courtesy of Privitera off a corner kick.
The Hatters finally got their first – and only – shot of the night in the 66’, and in doing so found the back of the net when Ajmeer Spengler had his shot deflected in off a South Florida player and past Bulls’ keeper Ralph Montero (Miami, Fla.). The goal, however, proved to be too little too late for Stetson.
South Florida was in control of the contest for all 90 minutes of play and finished with a commanding 19-1 shot advantage and a 7-1 margin in shots on goal.
Scoring Summary
USF – Jeffrey “JT” Copper (Josh Gomina; 16:27)
USF – Andres Freire (Nicolas Scargle; 40)
USF – Andres Freire (Gabrielle Privitera; 50:45)
SU – Ajmeer Spengler (Unassisted; 66:03)
1 2 F
USF 2 1 3
STETSON 0 1 1
Shots: USF 19, SU 1
Shots on Goal: USF 7, SU 1
Saves: USF 0, SU 4
Corner Kicks: USF 5, SU 1
Fouls: USF 11, SU 12
Notable
- South Florida improves to 28-4-1 all-time against Stetson.
- The Bulls snapped a three-match unbeaten streak with the win over the Hatters.
- South Florida came into the match with a 324-minute scoreless streak – a stretch that extended to 340 minutes tonight – until JT Copper ended it with his goal in the 16’.
- Andres Freire’s two-goal evening was the second multi-goal outing for the Bulls this season … Henrique Gallina (Atibaia, Brazil) found the back of the net twice in the season-opener against Jacksonville (W, 4-1).
Up NextAfter its meeting with Stetson, South Florida continues its three-match homestand when it hosts North Florida on Sept. 14, on International Night at 7 p.m., before facing Tulsa on Sept. 18 at noon. The Tulsa match, the American Athletic Conference opener for both sides, will have free admission.
Fans can purchase tickets to USF men’s soccer home matches by calling 1-800-GoBulls or at USFBullsTix.com.
All home matches this season, will be broadcast live on either Bulls Unlimited or Bulls Unlimited 2 with Darek Sharp on the call. Both stations are available via the iHeart Radio app (search “USF”) and provide static-free quality whether you’re listening on your streaming device, laptop, or desktop.
In addition to Bulls Unlimited, all of USF’s home regular-season matches will be streamed live on the ESPN+ platform. 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.
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 –
