Alex Sannes gets his second career goal in as many matches on Friday against the Owls.
BOCA RATON, Fla. (Sept. 16, 2022) – The University of South Florida men’s soccer team opened up American Athletic Conference play on Friday looking for its second-straight win, however, the Bulls had to settle for a 1-1 draw with Florida Atlantic at the FAU Soccer Stadium. The match marked the first-ever AAC contest for the Owls.
After trailing in shots early on in the first half, 3-0, the Bulls (1-3-2, 0-0-1 AAC) stepped up the offensive pressure outshooting the Owls (1-3-2, 0-0-1 AAC), 7-1, to end the first stanza.
Alex Sannes closed out the first 45 minutes in style by beating Florida Atlantic goalkeeper, Neil Strauber, to the bottom left corner of the goal off a perfectly placed ball by Marcus Victorio to make the score 1-0 in the 39’. South Florida took that advantage into the locker room at the break. For Sannes, a freshman, it was his second career goal and his second in as many matches after missing the first four contests due to injury.
The Owls came out in the second half and got the equalizer, quickly, in the 53’ on a goal by Kyle Gruno. That was the final goal of the match.
Florida Atlantic nearly got the go-ahead goal in the 74’ but it was waved off for offsides. South Florida’s Oscar Resano then had an opportunity eight minutes later firing a shot on goal – the Bulls’ only shot of the half – that was saved by Strauber in the 82’.
The second half didn’t offer many chances as both sides combined for just four shots, including one for each team on goal.
Resano finished the night with two shots, including a match-high two on goal, while Shion Soga also had two shots.
South Florida goalkeeper, Jackson Weyman, had three saves all coming in the first half.
Scoring Summary
USF – Alex Sannes (Marcus Victorio; 38:37)
FAU – Kyle Gruno (Spencer Mallion; 52:41)
1 2 F
USF 1 0 1
FAU 0 1 1
Shots: USF 8, FAU 7
Shots on Goal: USF 4, FAU 4
Saves: USF 3, FAU 3
Corner Kicks: USF 4, FAU 4
Fouls: USF 16, FAU 15
Notable
- South Florida’s tie with Florida Atlantic moves its record to 12-3-3 in the all-time series, continuing its domination of the Owls … The Bulls also increased their unbeaten streak against FAU to 10 matches.
- In two matches Alex Sannes has recorded three total shots, with all coming on goal, and has logged two goals.
- Friday’s match started a five-match American Athletic Conference stretch with three of the five being played away from Corbett Stadium.
- In addition to Weyman, and Soga, Luca Hollenstein, Salvatore Mazzaferro, Takeru Moriyama and Brian Schaefer all logged 90 minutes on the pitch.
Up Next
South Florida continues their five-match American Athletic Conference stretch with their AAC home opener, Sept. 24 at 7 p.m., against Temple.
Fans can purchase tickets by calling 1-800-GoBulls or at Ticketmaster.
All home matches this season will be broadcast live on USF Bulls Unlimited, with Darek Sharp on the call. Bulls Unlimited is available via the free Tune In app (search “Bulls Unlimited”) and provides static-free quality whether you’re listening on your streaming device, laptop or desktop.
In addition to Bulls Unlimited, all of South Florida’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.
The University of South Florida men’s soccer team was well represented on the AAC postseason All-Conference Team in 2021 with four players earning honors. Highlighting the Bulls’ honorees was the American Athletic Conference Co-Goalkeeper of the Year, Kazuna Takase, along with first-team selection Shion Soga. In addition, Takase was also selected to the All-Conference Second Team along with Salvatore Mazzaferro, and Josh Gomina was named to the AAC All-Rookie Team.
–#GoBulls –
