TAMPA (Oct. 10, 2014)— Rivalry week was in full force for the USF women's soccer team as the UCF Knights came to town for a Friday night match at Corbett Stadium. Before the game, the Bulls recognized senior Demi Stokes as the England native appeared in her final regular season home game as a USF Bull.

 Stokes' last game at home was a heartbreaker as the Bulls dropped to 2-3 in American Athletic Conference play with a 3-0 loss to the Knights.

“I took like it any other game,” Stokes said. “I try not to think of it as my last. The conference tournament is here so hopefully we get another shot out here.”

The first half saw the Bulls (7-6-1, 2-3-0) control the tempo of the game, outshooting the Knights (12-2-0, 5-0-0) 5-1 early on. USF took 10 shots with five on goal as sophomore Leticia Skeete led the Bulls at the half with three shots, two being on goal.

UCF struck first in the 19th minute on an own goal by USF. After a corner kick, junior Jackie Simpson attempted to clear the ball but her header just crossed the plane, giving the Knights the goal.

Before halftime, the Knights went up 3-0 on shots by Ashley Spivey and Tatiana Coleman. Coleman drew USF goalie Thordis Aikman out of the net before passing the ball to Spivey who took the shot from six yards out to put the Bulls up 2-0. Coleman got a shot of her own with five minutes remaining to put the Knights up 3-0.

The second half played out much differently than the first as the defenses stepped up and controlled the game. The USF defense allowed just 3 shots in the second half, and held the Knights to just eight for the night.

The Bulls offense fared better in the second half, putting up four shots with one on goal, but were unable to capitalize and find a scoring opportunity.

“We outshot them in both halves and played very, very well,” head coach Denise-Schilte Brown said. “The plan was good but I think those three goals were unaccounted for and we didn't score on the other end. UCF is a good team and it's always going to be a good match. We're disappointed with the result for sure.”

If USF advances to the quarterfinals of the AAC tournament, Stokes will have an opportunity to play once again at Corbett Stadium as USF is set to host the final two rounds of the tournament.

Next up for the Bulls is a trip to Storrs, Conn. for a matchup with the UConn Huskies on Thursday, Oct. 16 at 7 p.m.

The USF women's soccer team has posted two consecutive 10-plus win seasons and three in the last four years under head coach Denise Schilte-Brown. The Bulls made their first NCAA tournament appearance and recorded their first tournament victory in 2010. USF returns 23 players from last year's roster including All-American Athletic Conference second team forward Demi Stokes and All-Rookie Team defender Leticia Skeete. They also bring back 11 players that appeared in 15 or more games last season.

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