SMU was the Bulls’ fourth Top 25 opponent of the season; Ajmeer Spengler tallied the Bulls’ goal in the 27’.
TAMPA (Oct. 21, 2022) – The University of South Florida men’s soccer team looked for its second-straight Top 25 win on Friday when it traveled to Dallas to face No. 20/24 SMU but fell short against the Mustangs, 3-1. The loss snapped the Bulls’ five-match American Athletic Conference unbeaten streak.
South Florida is now 3-5-4 on the year and 2-1-3 in The American while SMU improves to 9-3-1 overall and 5-2 in league play. The Mustangs marked the Bulls’ fourth Top 25 foe of the season.
SMU started the scoring off in a very eventful first 45 minutes, doing so quickly in the 2’ when Fredrik Skilberg found the back of the net to go up 1-0.
Ajmeer Spengler, however, got the equalizer for South Florida in the 27’. After a Mustangs throw-in and turnover, Alfred Perez attempted a shot that was blocked with the rebound finding Spengler, who played it off his chest and fired a one-timer out of the air to the far-right post to even the match at 1-1.
It didn’t take long for SMU to respond as the Mustangs regained the lead, 2-1, in the 32’ when Alex Petraeus beat the Bulls’ Jackson Weyman.
Weyman would be tested just before the end of the first half and came up with two brilliant back-to-back saves seconds apart including one from point-blank range from three yards out to keep the margin at one goal heading into the half.
The second half didn’t prove to be as eventful offensively, but SMU connected on the only score of the second stanza with an insurance goal in the 83’ from Baily Sparks en route to the win.
Jemone Barclay led South Florida with three shots on the night, while Spengler and Perez each had two shots. Spengler had a team-high two shots on goal.
Scoring Summary
SMU – Fredrik Skilberg (Alexander Petraeus; 1:53)
USF – Ajmeer Spengler (Unassisted; 27:25)
SMU – Alexander Petraeus (Knut Ahlander, Jon Paul Fernandez; 31:38)
SMU – Baily Sparks (Elton Hedstroem, Nikola Djordjevic; 82:47)
1 2 F
USF 1 0 1
SMU 2 1 3
Shots: USF 7, SMU 17
Shots on Goal: USF 3, SMU 7
Saves: USF 4, SMU 2
Corner Kicks: USF 1, SMU 6
Fouls: USF 12, SMU 11
Notable
- South Florida’s loss to SMU drops its record in the all-time series to 4-8-4 and 1-3-2 in matches played in Dallas.
- In addition to Weyman, Luca Hollenstein, Salvatore Mazzaferro and Gabrielle Privitera played a complete 90 minutes.
- Friday’s match with No. 20/24 SMU marked the Bulls’ fourth match against a Top 25 foe, joining No. 24/- North Carolina, No. 3/2 Washington and No. 14/21 Tulsa.
Up Next
South Florida ends its short two-match road stretch at No. 13/12 Charlotte on Oct. 25 at 7 p.m. The Bulls will return to Corbett Stadium on Oct. 28 at 7 p.m. for their home finale and Senior Night. South Florida closes out the regular season with the War on I-4 at Central Florida on Nov. 2 at 7 p.m. All three matches can be seen live on ESPN+.
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 –
