USF opens 2021 with back-to-back home matches, ending on Sunday 7 p.m. against UNCW.
By Joey Johnston
TAMPA (Aug. 25, 2021) – Last fall, USF men’s soccer coach Bob Butehorn said he felt the Bulls were talented enough to win a conference championship. Of course, due to COVID-19, the fall season never happened.
And by the time the abbreviated spring season got under way, the Bulls were a much different team.
USF BULLS | 0-0, 0-0 AAC
Last Game: First match of 2021
Next Game: Aug. 29 vs. UNCW, 7 p.m.
Head Coach: Bob Butehorn
Career Record: 157-125-35 (19th season)
At USF: 27-27-7 (Fourth season)
JACKSONVILLE DOLPHINS | 0-0, 0-0 ATLANTIC SUN
Last Game: First match of 2021
Next Game: Aug. 29 vs. Wofford, 5 p.m.
Head Coach: Mauricio Ruiz
Career Record: 38-68-6 (Ninth season)
At Jacksonville: Same
Two American Athletic Conference first-team players (Avionne Flanagan and Javain Brown) were drafted by Major League Soccer and another (Adrian Billhardt) went to the United Soccer League.
Five starters were lost to season-ending injuries.
“By all accounts, we were the best team in the league had we played the season as normal,’’ said Butehorn, whose team opens its season Thursday night against Jacksonville University at Corbett Stadium. “By the time we got going in the spring, there was times when you were looking up and down the bench and there weren’t many answers. We were down to one goalkeeper. Between the draft and the injuries, we had lost the equivalent of a team.’’
USF played on and had some spring momentum, but finished with four consecutive defeats (each by a goal, a pair in double overtime) in the 4-6 mini-season.
The Bulls, with a mix of promising newcomers mix and returners that survived the trial by fire, are hopeful of building back into a postseason-worthy squad. USF was picked fourth in the AAC’s preseason poll and defender Salvatore Mazzaferro was a unanimous All-AAC pick.
Butehorn is glad to be playing with a full lineup again.
“In a way, it’s like starting with a clean slate,’’ Butehorn said. “We have some talented freshmen coming in. On paper, some of them might have more pedigree than the guys who were sitting here last year. So it’s a question of how you blend the players together to get the best possible team.
“It’s almost like staring at a new car. It looks good, but you have no idea how it drives yet. There’s excitement. There’s also stress. It’s why I love this profession. It’s like a game of chess. Every season, you turn the page and there’s always a new set of dynamics.’’
Henrique Gallina, a junior midfielder who missed five games due to injury last spring, said he’s looking forward to a full season, along with in-person classes at USF.
“Last spring was just weird — games only on weekends, online classes,’’ Gallina said. “Then when our expected guys weren’t in the starting lineup any more, it affected us. I think we’re all on the same page now.’’
Junior defender Marcus Murphy said the spring season was a learning experience.
“It was unique for us and for NCAA soccer as a whole,’’ Murphy said. “As a team, we’re not going use excuses. We want to learn from what went wrong and get a lot better. For sure, we must play better at home (1-4 last spring). We’ve got to take pride at playing in Corbett and defend our home turf. That’s a huge priority.’’
Murphy said the Bulls are returning to the program’s priorities — strong technique and tireless fitness. He said those qualities are part of “representing USF’s brand, what we’re known for … and we didn’t have enough of that in the spring.’’
Overall, the Bulls have 12 newcomers, including four from the Tampa Bay area — striker Andres Freire (Sarasota, Clearwater Chargers), midfielder Alexander Lubas (Sarasota, Clearwater Chargers), midfielder Julio Plata (Tampa Bay United) and center back Nicolas Scargle (Clearwater Chargers).
Freire led the United States Soccer Developmental Academy in scoring (11 goals in nine games during the 2019-20 season). He has considerable training experience with the Tampa Bay Rowdies. Lubas, his Clearwater Chargers teammate, has experience in Denmark and the Netherlands.
Meanwhile, Plata made his first-team debut in a preseason match with the Rowdies at age 16. He spent time in England at Brook House College.
“We have a lot of promising newcomers and a very tight group of seniors,’’ Gallina said. “I like the way it looks. I think we have a lot of guys hungry for the game and eager to make their mark.’’
Fans can purchase tickets 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.
Corbett Stadium will also return to full-capacity seating for fans for the first time since Nov. 9, 2019, 647-days.
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 –
