USF Falls Just Short to Central Florida in War on I-4

Oscar Resano and Victor Claudel both find the back of the net for the Bulls.

TAMPA (Sept. 29, 2021) – The University of South Florida men’s soccer team was looking for that signature win, and figured that the first edition of this season’s War on I-4 against Central Florida would be the perfect time to get it. Unfortunately for the Bulls, the Knights had other plans and squeaked by the Green and Gold, 3-2, in front of 1,487 at Corbett Stadium. South Florida falls to 2-5-1 and 0-3 in The American while Central Florida improves to 5-3 overall and 3-0 in league play.

The contest was the eighth straight match between the two sides that ended in a one-goal differential.

The Knights took a 1-0 lead into the locker room at the break after a goal by Ariel Hadar in the 40’ minute of play. The real match, however, started in the second 45 minutes.

After just one goal in the first half, Hadar put the Knights up 2-0, with his second score of the night in the 48’. Central Florida then gave that goal back just 72 seconds later when Oscar Resano netted his second goal of the season, in the 49’ of play, off a pass from Donovan Hesselmeyer to cut the Knights’ lead to one.

Lucca Dourado then closed out the frantic four-minute stretch with a goal in the 52’ minute, a marker that eventually proved to be the game-winner.

Victor Claudel found the back of the net for the first time this season in the 85’ minute, giving the Bulls some hope in the final moments, off a spectacular pass from Shion Soga on a corner kick, but that proved to be too little too late.

Central Florida held the advantage in shots on the night, 15-10, however, the Bulls had the edge in the second half, 9-8.

Ralph Montero finished the night with two saves in net for South Florida.

Scoring Summary

UCF – Ariel Hadar (Kevin Andrews; 39:41)

UCF – Ariel Hadler (Lucca Dourado; 47:40)

USF – Oscar Resano (Donovan Hesselmeyer; 48:52)

UCF – Lucca Dour (Yanis Leerman; 51:32)

USF – Victor Claudel (Shion Soga; 85:10)

                               1              2              F

USF                       0              2              2                        

UCF                        1              2              3

Shots: USF 10, UCF 15

Shots on Goal: USF 4, UCF 5

Saves: USF 2, UCF 2

Corner Kicks: USF 4, UCF 9

Fouls: USF 14, UCF 6

Notable

  • Tonight’s crowd of 1,487 is the largest crowd for a men’s soccer match at Corbett Stadium since Oct. 26, 2019, against Central Florida in the War on I-4, when 1,506 filed into Corbett.
  • Ben Kaplan saw his first action of the season for the Bulls.
  • Victor Claudel’s goal was his first since Feb. 6, 2021, against Temple.

Up Next
The Bulls will now head back on the road for the first of two straight matches, beginning on Sunday when they travel to America’s Heartland to face No. 7/4 Tulsa at 8 p.m. ET. South Florida will then face Temple, in Philadelphia, on Saturday, Oct. 9 at 7 p.m., before returning to Corbett Stadium on Friday, Oct. 15 at 7 p.m. against Memphis on Breast Cancer Awareness Night.

Oscar Resano and Victor Claudel find the back of the net for the Bulls.

TAMPA (Sept. 29, 2021) – The University of South Florida men’s soccer team was looking for that signature win, and figured that the first edition of this season’s War on I-4 against Central Florida would be the perfect time to get it. Unfortunately for the Bulls, the Knights had other plans and squeaked by the Green and Gold, 3-2, in front of 1,487 at Corbett Stadium. South Florida falls to 2-5-1 and 0-3 in The American while Central Florida improves to 5-3 overall and 3-0 in league play.

The contest was the eighth straight match between the two sides that ended in a one-goal differential.

The Knights took a 1-0 lead into the locker room at the break after a goal by Ariel Hadar in the 40’ minute of play. The real match, however, started in the second 45 minutes.

After just one goal in the first half, Hadar put the Knights up 2-0, with his second score of the night in the 48’. Central Florida then gave that goal back just 72 seconds later when Oscar Resano netted his second goal of the season, in the 49’ of play, off a pass from Donovan Hesselmeyer to cut the Knights’ lead to one.

Lucca Dourado then closed out the frantic four-minute stretch with a goal in the 52’ minute, a marker that eventually proved to be the game-winner.

Victor Claudel found the back of the net for the first time this season in the 85’ minute, giving the Bulls some hope in the final moments, off a spectacular pass from Shion Soga on a corner kick, but that proved to be too little too late.

Central Florida held the advantage in shots on the night, 15-10, however, the Bulls had the edge in the second half, 9-8.

Ralph Montero finished the night with two saves in net for South Florida.

Scoring Summary

UCF – Ariel Hadar (Kevin Andrews; 39:41)

UCF – Ariel Hadler (Lucca Dourado; 47:40)

USF – Oscar Resano (Donovan Hesselmeyer; 48:52)

UCF – Lucca Dour (Yanis Leerman; 51:32)

USF – Victor Claudel (Shion Soga; 85:10)

                               1              2              F

USF                       0              2              2                        

UCF                        1              2              3

Shots: USF 10, UCF 15

Shots on Goal: USF 4, UCF 5

Saves: USF 2, UCF 2

Corner Kicks: USF 4, UCF 9

Fouls: USF 14, UCF 6

Notable

  • Tonight’s crowd of 1,487 is the largest crowd for a men’s soccer match at Corbett Stadium since Oct. 26, 2019, against Central Florida in the War on I-4, when 1,506 filed into Corbett.
  • Ben Kaplan saw his first action of the season for the Bulls.
  • Victor Claudel’s goal was his first since Feb. 6, 2021, against Temple.

Up NextThe Bulls will now head back on the road for the first of two straight matches, beginning on Sunday when they travel to America’s Heartland to face No. 7/4 Tulsa at 8 p.m. ET. South Florida will then face Temple, in Philadelphia, on Saturday, Oct. 9 at 7 p.m., before returning to Corbett Stadium on Friday, Oct. 15 at 7 p.m. against Memphis on Breast Cancer Awareness Night.

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.

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