AKRON, Ohio ? One minute and 52 seconds into the second overtime, University of South Florida junior defender Yohance Marshall knocked in a free kick from senior Simon Schoendorf into the net to give USF a 1-0 victory over the Akron Zips in the Second Round of the NCAA Men's Soccer Championship held in Ohio.
"I'm very proud of the team," said Coach George Kiefer. "I thought the guys battled against a very good unbeaten Akron team at home. I was especially proud of the guys who came off the bench and gave us quality minutes."
With the win, the Bulls (14-5-2) will face Connecticut on Sunday at 1 p.m. in the Third Round of the NCAA Tournament in Storrs, Conn. The matchup will be the third of the season for the two BIG EAST teams.
Schoendorf took a free kick from 35 yards out, and following a scramble in the six-yard box, Marshall chested the ball past the Akron keeper to give USF the win, despite being outshot 17-8 in the game.
The Akron Zips controlled time of possession in the first half, but the Bulls equalized the custody of the ball in the second half, making numerous runs down the flanks in the second stanza.
USF's first chance on net in the game came as the Bulls took a corner kick just four minutes into the contest, but the Zips cleared the ball to the top of the box and take control of the game's pace.
For the next 20 minutes, Akron attacked USF freshman goalkeeper Diego Restrepo with five shots on frame. Restrepo left his feet for four of the five shots, first diving across the net for a low Zips shot, followed by a high tip over the top of the frame. In the 20th minute, USF stopped back-to-back corner kick attempts, heading both shots out of the box. Two minutes later Marshall blocked a shot in front of the USF net, slowing the Zips' offensive tempo.
With 15 minutes left in the half, USF made its first true attempt in their offensive end of the field, as freshman Tony Taylor broke through three Zip defenders to make his way to the top of the box, but a sliding tackle from an Akron player ended the Bulls' quest for the net.
In the 35th minute, the Zips again bombarded the USF net. Restrepo had to dive left-to-right to stop a corner kick from Akron, then blocked a 40-foot attempt and corralled the rebound shot to keep Akron scoreless through the first 45 minutes.
Kevon Neaves took USF's only shot on goal in the first half, a rifle into the arms of the Akron keeper in the 38th minute.
After only taking one shot prior to the intermission, the Bulls attempted five shots in a matter of 10 minutes to start the second half.
Just moments after the barrage of shots, a foul on Akron in the 67th minute led USF to a free kick from the top of the circle, but Schoendorf's shot was blocked by the eight-man wall of players. Schoendorf followed his own shot, blasting the rebound shot with his left foot, an attempt that was hauled in by the Akron keeper.
USF controlled the ball for the final minute, attempting a free kick, corner kick and two throw-ins. At the one-minute mark, Schoendorf's direct free kick from 35 yards out ricocheted off the frame, leading to a corner kick, which was blocked by an Akron defender. Both throw-ins were quick hits that were headed out of the scoring area, ending regulation in a 0-0 knot.
The Zips controlled the first moments of the overtime period, weaving their way into the box, but Restrepo again made a diving save to continue the game. A repeat of Akron's previous shot attempt, the Bulls were again able to keep the ball out of the back of the net due to swarming defense.
Akron outshot the Bulls 3-0 in the first overtime, controlling a major piece of the possession throughout the extra 10 minutes.
Freshman Javed Mohammed gave USF one final look at the net with 30 seconds left in the first overtime, but Akron swept the ball out of the box to run down the clock.
USF's win advances the Bulls into the Third Round for only the second time in the 43-year history of the program. USF's only Third Round appearance came in 1997.
Head Coach George Kiefer is now 64-37-13 overall and 3-0-1 in the NCAA Tournament while at USF.
The Bulls remain unbeaten by Mid-America Conference foes, and own a 2-0 record over Akron in the all-time series. With the win, USF dropped the Zips' all-time record at Lee Jackson Field to 27-3-2 since 2004.