STORRS, CONN., NOV. 16, 2014 – The USF men's soccer team's quest for a second straight American Athletic Conference Championship came up just short on a cold Sunday afternoon in Storrs, Conn., falling to second-seeded Tulsa 6-5 in penalty kicks.

For the second straight game the fourth-seeded Bulls' headed to penalty kicks after neither side was able to score through regulation and two overtime periods.

American Co-Goalkeeper of the Year Spasoje Stefanovic had another stellar game for USF, making a handful of big saves to keep the game scoreless. He finished with six stops for the game while registering his sixth shutout of the year.

The first 45 minutes were pretty even with both teams creating a couple of good chances. The Bulls' best opportunity came in the 10^th minute on a sharp-angle shot by Lucas Baldin that was saved by Tulsa goalkeeper Jake McGuire.

Stefanovic matched McGuire with a big save of his own about seven minutes later, making a diving stop on Akeil Barrett's shot at the near post.

Both teams finished the first half with two shots on goal as the game was scoreless at the break.

USF (10-7-3) jumped out to a quick start with four shots early on in the second half. Lindo Mfeka had a good chance to give the Bulls a lead but his blast from the top of the box was tipped over the crossbar by McGuire in the 57^th minute.

Stefanovic came up huge on multiple occasions in the second half to keep Tulsa off the board. The sophomore from Belgrade, Serbia made a tough stop in the 68^th minute on Aymar Sigue's shot from 12-yards out and came up with his biggest save of the afternoon in the 85^th minute with a great diving stop on a curling shot towards the far post by Tony Rocha.

Marcus Epps had the last real good chance for USF in regulation but missed the far post from a sharp angle in the 70^th minute.

After 90 minutes of scoreless soccer, the Bulls headed to overtime for the second straight game.

No. 24 Tulsa (11-5-3) possessed the ball for the majority of the first overtime and earned three corner kicks but were unable to take advantage.

The tides turned in the second overtime period as the Bulls attacked the Golden Hurricane frequently and nearly won the game on a couple of occasions.

Just over two minutes into the period, Tyler Blackwood had a great chance in front of goal but was turned away by McGuire and the rebound attempt by Epps was blocked by a Tulsa defender.

On the ensuing corner kick, Epps had another good look but his back heel attempt was saved again by McGuire, who finished the game with eight stops. USF outshot Tulsa 15-12 for the game and also had an 8-6 advantage in shots on goal following both overtime periods.

Just like last year's conference title game, the winner would be decided on penalty kicks after neither team was able to find the elusive golden goal on overtime.

The Bulls entered the shootout with a 2-0 record in American tournament play when going to penalty kicks after defeating UConn 2-0 in Friday's semifinal and 6-5 in last season's American Championship game in Dallas.  

Both teams put on a clinic with great finishes throughout the first five rounds, as every player for each team converted. Abe Matamoros scored what turned out to be the game-winning penalty kick in the sixth round as USF missed wide right on its final attempt.

USF did not allow a single goal in the semifinal or final, a span 220 minutes, but was also unable to score a goal of its own after defeating Memphis, 4-2, in the quarterfinals on Nov. 8 in Tampa.

Stefanovic, Baldin, Wesley Charpie and Nikola Paunic were all named to the all-tournament team for USF.

The Bulls will now have to hope for an at-large bid to keep their string of seven straight NCAA tournament appearances going. The selection show will air on Monday at 1 p.m. on NCAA.com.

Follow the men's soccer team on social media (Twitter / Facebook / Instagram) and visit GoUSFBulls.com for the most up-to-date information.

The men's soccer program has been one of the most successful teams on campus over the years, making it to seven straight NCAA tournaments and eight of the last nine. They won the inaugural American Athletic Conference Championship last season and Head Coach George Kiefer has also led the Bulls to two Elite Eight appearances and four conference titles in his 12 seasons as head coach. Purchase season and single-game tickets HERE.

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