TAMPA, Fla. ? First half goals by senior Simon Schoendorf and freshman Tony Taylor provided the No. 16 University of South Florida men's soccer team all the offense it would need as it turned away the DePaul Blue Demons 2-0 for its fourth conference win of the year.
The Bulls, 9-2-2 (4-2-1), bump their point total in the BIG EAST Red Division up to 13 with the victory and overtake Villanova for the top spot in the standings. DePaul falls to 7-5-0 and 3-4-0 in the BIG EAST.
The ninth win also equals the total for the Bulls during the 2006 campaign. The squad stands on the verge of giving head coach George Kiefer the fourth 10-win season in his six years with the program.
USF earned its second-straight shutout over a BIG EAST rival and Schoendorf continued his hot play, being involved in every scoring play for back-to-back games now.
The senior midfielder got things started just four minutes into the match, as he received two quick passes from teammates Jordan Seabrook and Armante Marshall inside DePaul's box. Schoendorf battled with a Blue Demons defender for a few steps before sailing the ball over DU goalkeeper Brian Visser, who was drawn out to the pack on the play.
Marshall's assist was the first point of the sophomore's career as a Bull. The Stetson transfer notched three assists during his one-year stint with the Hatters in 2006.
The majority of the first half was characterized by pass-backs and long possessions as both teams tried to organize runs.
The Bulls cracked the scoreboard again 30 minutes later as freshman Luke Magill won a ball and sent it forward to Schoendorf who then one-timed it to Taylor at the top of the box. Taylor, who registered the first two goals of his career early in the season against UCF and No. 15 USC, found number three as the beat Visser from the left side.
The first-half goals bring USF's season total to 16, while the opposition has only managed three. Overall the Bulls have outscored opponents 27-9 this year.
At the start of the second frame, Visser was replaced by junior Erik Sorenson in goal. Sorenson was able to keep the Bulls off the scoreboard, despite some close calls.
Schoendorf and Taylor nearly found their second goals on identical shots from the top-center of the box that both sailed high over the crossbar.
The pair was next involved in USF's third penalty kick of the year at home.
Taylor was taken down hard from behind as he drove past the Blue Demon defense into the box at the 80 minute mark, setting up Schoendorf for the PK which just hit the post and deflected wide.
“This was a good win for us in a very tactical match,” said Kiefer. “I would have been happier if we could have generated a third goal, but a 2-0 shutout in the BIG EAST is a good result.”
Despite the missed opportunities, Schoendorf established a new career-high in assists with eight on the year, and matched his career-best in points with 20.
Goalkeeper Diego Restrepo recorded five saves in the contest.
USF will return to the road this Sat., Oct. 20 to battle the Scarlet Knights of Rutgers at 7 p.m. from Yurcak Field. Rutgers currently sits next-to-last in the Red Division with a 3-4-0 conference record and a 5-7-1 overall mark.
USF returns home Wed., Oct. 24 to face Cincinnati at 7:30 p.m.
Tickets to all USF home matches are $5 for adults, $3 for youth 16-and-under and $2 for groups of 10 or more. Season ticket packages are also available. Call 1-800-GoBulls or visit www.GoUSFBulls.com for details. Spectators will have the opportunity to get player and coach autographs at the conclusion of every home game down on the field.
Fans can also catch all home games on the USF Press Pass. Live video and audio streaming is available for all matches played in the USF Soccer Stadium with Jim Henderson delivering the play-by-play call.
