BOX SCORE
TAMPA ? Senior forward Jordan Seabrook scored a goal in the 67th minute to lead No. 11 USF (11-4-2, 7-3-1 BIG EAST) to a 1-0 victory over Rutgers (6-8-3, 3-5-2 BIG EAST) on senior night Saturday at USF Soccer Stadium.
Junior Francisco Aristeguieta dribbled up the middle and played the ball to the right side where Seabrook buried it in the left corner of the goal.
“It means a lot,” said Seabrook. “I have put a lot of work into this school and this school has given so much to me. A lot more than I could ever imagine. To pay them back by putting one on the score sheet, it felt great.”
USF achieved a feat not many teams are able to do, they finish unbeaten at home with a 6-0-1 record.
“I was happy with how the guys performed tonight,” said USF head coach George Kiefer. “With Rutgers needing this game, we did a good job playing when it was time to play and fighting when it was time to fight. I was happy with how the seniors did. Jordan, Yohance, Kevon, Jason, Joris and Gonzalo have all meant something to this program. It showed tonight in their performances.”
The Scarlet Knights nearly jumped out to a lead when lead scorer for Rutgers, Dilly Duka attempted a penalty kick after a foul inside the penalty box. Sophomore goalkeeper Jeff Attinella came up with a diving save to keep the game scoreless.
With one and half minutes left in the game, Rutgers Bryant Knibbs fired a shot from the left side, but Attinella once again made a diving save to secure the victory for the Bulls.
“Jeff had a very nice game,” said Kiefer. “He had a great save on the penalty kick and a huge save towards the end of the game. He really is coming into his own.”
Attinella was stellar in goal, making five crucial saves in the game to record his ninth shutout of the season. The Safety Harbor, Fla., native lowered his nationally top 10 ranked goals against average to 0.35 and improved to 10-3-1 on the year.
The Bulls will get a first round bye in the BIG EAST Championship Tournament, but will have to see who their opponent will be and what day and time they will play. The Bulls will play the winner of the No. 3 Blue Division and No. 6 Red Division game.
