The Bulls fall in a double-overtime heartbreaker to the Mustangs, 2-1.
ORLANDO, Fla. (Nov. 13, 2019) – The University of South Florida men’s soccer team took SMU, one of the top teams in collegiate soccer, to the brink of defeat on Wednesday night in the semifinals of the American Athletic Conference Championships. In the end, however, the Mustangs handed the Bulls a tough 2-1 double-overtime loss at the UCF Soccer-Track Stadium. The loss drops USF, the three seed in this week’s tournament, to 11-6-1* on the year while second seeded – and 10th ranked – SMU improves to 15-1-1 overall.
SMU’s Brandon Terwedge scored the game winning goal in the 106th minute of play off a corner kick that rattled around in front of the goal and found its way into the back of the net, much to the dismay of the Bulls.
After the Mustangs started the scoring off early, in the 14th minute, USF seemed to have the upper hand offensively despite not seeing the result on the scoreboard. The Bulls held a 7-2 advantage in shots in the first 45 minutes, and more impressively, held SMU, second in the nation in scoring (3.44 goals per game) and third in shots per game (8.38), to its two offerings.
USF had several chances to get on the board but continued to be unlucky until the Bulls got fouled in the 18 in the 76th minute, leading to a penalty kick. Adrian Billhardt (Berlin, Germany) stepped up, taking his second PK of the season, and beat SMU goalkeeper Grant Makela with the equalizer.
Six minutes later, USF dodged a huge bullet when the Bulls were called for a foul in the box leading to a penalty kick for the Mustangs. SMU’s Gabriel Costa, the team’s fourth leading scorer, stepped to the spot, stutter-stepped and proceeded to send the ball wide right, keeping the game tied as regulation time eventually ran out.
In the extra sessions the Mustangs played the aggressor getting five shots off before Terwedge’s winner.
At the end of the night, SMU held a 17-10 shots advantage and an 8-4 edge in shots on goal.
For the Bulls in goal, Harrison Devenish-Meares (Sydney, Australia) was spectacular keeping USF within striking distance all night. The senior net minder finished the night with six saves.
Quotable
“We knew it was going to come down to a mental moment like that. I was just really happy with how my guys played. We definitely didn’t deserve to lose the game tonight. It’s a shame, because it’s been a good conference this year and each team has been really close.” – USF head coach Bob Butehorn on USFs loss to SMU.
Scoring Summary
SMU – Nicky Hernandez (Unassisted; 14:17)
USF – Adrian Billhardt (Penalty Kick; 76:27)
SMU – Brandon Terwedge (Unassisted; 105:48)
1 2 OT1 OT2 F
USF 0 1 0 0 0
SMU 1 0 0 1 2
Shots: USF 10 SMU 17
Shots on Goal: USF 4 SMU 8
Saves: USF 6 SMU 3
Corner Kicks: USF 1 SMU 7
Notable
- USF drops to 6-3-4 all-time in the American Athletic Conference Tournament, dating back to the inaugural season in 2013 … The 2013 campaign was the year that the Bulls won their lone AAC Tournament title.
- USF came into the SMU game with a 30 RPI from the NCAA, through games of Nov. 10.
- Emilio Ycaza (St. Petersburg, Fla.), Freddy Gil (West Palm Beach, Fla.) and Billhardt all had two shots on the night.
Up Next
USF will now await its fate to see if it receives an at-large bid the NCAA Tournament. The NCAA Selection Show is Monday night.
* USF’s overall and American Athletic Conference records include a 2-1 win over Tulsa that counts towards AAC standings but is not recognized by the NCAA. Click here for details.
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