TAMPA - Last season the University of South Florida men's soccer team was know for its stifling defense, and tonight the Bulls didn't miss a beat shutting out Stetson, 3-0, in their final exhibition game of the season at the USF Soccer Stadium.
USF held the Hatters to just three shots in the first half and nine on the night, with just five on goal. The Bulls had 14 shots, eight of which came on net.
Just two Stetson players - Fredrik Brustad (3) and Set Carpintero (2) had more than one shot in the loss.
USF, who closes out its exhibition season with a 2-1 record, took control early and never really let up. The Bulls kept the Hatters goalkeeper, Logan Potter, on his toes in the opening minutes with two shots from inside the box. Hasani Sinclair gave USF its first big opportunity of the game with a shot from the close left wing just four minutes into the contest.
Zak Boggs then controlled the ball from the midfield and brought it into the box for a point-blank shot just over five minutes later, only to have his shot stopped by Potter.
Jorge Mora would finally get the Bulls on the board, off an assist from Sinclair, from the right wing at the 12:23 mark. That would be the only scoring for both teams in the first half despite USF's offensive control.
The Bulls would continue to keep the heat on offensively from the start of the second half while keeping Stetson locked down.
Fernando Gonzalez would take a pass from Javed Mohammed off a corner kick just over five minutes into the half and heading it to the back of the net to give USF a 2-0 lead.
Sinclair would record his first collegiate goal - albeit - in the preseason to give the Bulls some insurance of assists from Aubrey Perry and Mora.
The Bulls will now get ready for its regular season opener on Sept. 1 against UCF. Kick-off at the USF Soccer Stadium is slated for 7:30 p.m.
Season tickets for USF men's soccer games are $40 for adults and $20 for youths and senior citizens. Adult individual match tickets are $6, while youth and senior citizen admission is $3. All groups of 10 or more can purchase tickets for $2.50 per ticket. All USF students will be admitted at no cost when they display their student ID.
