Despite the setback, the Bulls outshoot the Mustangs, 12-10, on the night.
DALLAS (Sept. 24, 2021) – The University of South Florida men’s soccer team battled its third Top 10 team in its last four matches, on Saturday, when it traveled to Dallas to face No. 7 SMU, and despite outshooting the Mustangs, 12-10 on the night, SMU came out on top, 3-2 at Washburne Stadium. The Bulls fall to 2-4-1 overall, and 0-2 in The American, while the Mustangs improve to 5-0-2 on the year and 2-0 in conference play.
SMU scored three minutes into the match and one minute into the second half to make quick work of the Bulls.
The Mustangs came out of the locker room to start the match and struck quickly in the 3’ when Lane Warrington found the back of the net by way of a corner kick from Knut Ahlander. The offering was initially pinballed around in the box before finding Warrington’s foot who put his shot past South Florida goalkeeper Ralph Montero.
The Bulls’ best opportunity in the first half came off a corner kick by Marcus Victorio that found the head of Max Gottwald, but his attempt went just over the crossbar in the 18’.
South Florida trailed at the end of the first half, 1-0, and the Mustangs held a 5-2 shot advantage.
Much like the first half, SMU came out firing to begin the second 45 minutes of action. The Mustangs’ Jose Ortiz dribbled in and sent a shot off from 25 yards out that, unfortunately, deflected off the foot of the Bulls’ Sal Mazzaferro and past Montero just one minute into the second half.
The Bulls were limited in their total chances, however, Gabrielle Privitera looked to cut into the Mustangs’ lead in the 80’ when he fired off a laser shot to the far-right side of the goal that was punched away at the last second by SMU goalkeeper Cole Johnson, keeping the Bulls scoreless, and eventually securing the win.
Scoring Summary
SMU – Lane Warrington (Thomas Haney, Knut Ahlander; 3:16)
SMU – Jose Ortiz (Skage Simonsen; 46:25)
1 2 F
USF 0 0 0
SMU 1 1 2
Shots: USF 12, SMU 10
Shots on Goal: USF 3, SMU 2
Saves: USF 2, SMU 3
Corner Kicks: USF 3, SMU 4
Fouls: USF 13, SMU 13
Notable
- Marcus Victorio played in just his second match of the season, and earned his first career start.
- Victorio, Gabrielle Privitera and Richard Laval all had a team-high two shots on the night … Privitera had a match-high two shots on goal.
Up NextFollowing Friday’s match against SMU, the Bulls return to Corbett Stadium for the first edition of the War on I-4 against UCF, on Sept. 28, at 7 p.m.
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 –
