TAMPA - When a team holds a ceremony prior to a game to honor its senior class, the main subject of that ceremony is usually reflecting on how those seniors have made an impact on the program as a whole during the duration of their time at that particular institution. Well, tonight that fact could not be any truer as the University of South Florida men's soccer team battled to a thrilling 3-1 come-from-behind victory over Villanova at the USF Soccer Stadium.
After being honored prior to tonight's game, two of the six seniors figured into the scoring, in a game that saw more twists and turns that a Busch Gardens roller coaster.
Senior, and Wharton High School graduate, Ogi Perucica recorded his first career goal while fellow classmate Francisco Aristeguieta, recorded two points, figuring into Perucica's goal in addition to USF's first goal of the game.
After getting out of the gate slowly in the first half, and basically being kept back on their heels for the first 45 minutes, the Bulls would find themselves on the wrong end of a 1-0 score entering the intermission.
The Wildcats (8-6-2, 4-4-1 BIG EAST) would strike quickly when Villanova's leading scorer Mike Seamon found the back of the net just six minutes into the game off an assist from Kyle Sokora.
USF would never really get into the flow in the first stanza as they really only had one opportunity to tie the game up. That chance came in the 28th minute of play when Zak Boggs would attempt a corner kick, and placing the ball perfectly in front of the keeper about two-feet from the goal line. Although two USF players were within a legs reach, none could get a foot on the ball.
Arguably one of the biggest plays of the game came in the 32nd minute and on the defensive end of the field for the Bulls. After just checking into the game a minute before, Villanova's Adam Amann took a ball that was placed into the 18-yard box and fired it towards the goal beating USF goalkeeper Jeff Attinella. Ashani Fairclough, however, would come out of nowhere from the right side of the goal - and just about a foot away from the goal line - to head the ball out of play, keeping it a one-goal game.
In the second half, the Bulls came out and immediately showed a little more spring in their step.
Sebastien Thuriere would look to strike first with a laser that deflected off Villanova goalkeeper Chris Bresnahan just five minutes into the second half. Zak Boggs made a move to tap the ball into the net however; Bresnahan would recover and drop on the ball just before he could do so.
The game, however, would take an interesting turn when Seamon, the game's first goal scorer and scoring leader for the Wildcats, was issued a red card and ejected from the game in the 55th minute forcing Villanova to play a man down.
USF would take advantage of Seamon's absence when Hasani Sinclair would take a pass from Kevil Olali - in what would be Olali's first career collegiate point - and Aristeguieta to knot the game up at one-goal apiece in the 63rd minute of play.
Seven minutes later the Bulls would get a corner kick from Javed Mohammed placed nicely on the far side of the Villanova goal box. The pass would find Andre Mitto and then Ashani Fairclough before Thuriere would bury the ball in the back of the net for what would eventually be the game winner, his second of the season.
Perucica could not have picked a better night to tally his first career goal, doing so in the 76th minute, off a pass from Felipe Libreros and Aristegueita, capping off a remarkable three-goal in 13-minute stretch.
On the night, the Bulls would end up out shooting the Wildcats 13-11, including an 8-2 margin in the second half.
Attinella would make four saves in the win on nine shots on goal.
The Bulls will close out their 2009 regular season home schedule on Wednesday, Oct. 28 when they butt heads with DePaul at 7:30 p.m.
For ticket information contact the USF athletics ticket office at 1-800-GoBulls.
