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TAMPA, AUG. 22, 2014— Six second-half shots on goal weren't enough to propel the USF women's soccer team past the FAU Owls as the Bulls fell 1-0 in their home season opener Friday night in front of a crowd of 835 fans.
“It was an incredible crowd,” head coach Denise Schilte-Brown said. “We love playing at home and having this kind of support.
FAU took a 1-0 lead in the 13th minute when Claire Emslie breezed a free kick past USF freshman goalie Thordis Aikman.
The Bulls responded with two shots on goal from junior Olivia Chance and senior Demi Stokes. Chance nearly tied the game in the 38th minute but was denied as the ball struck the post. Stokes, who returned from England this morning after playing with the England Full National Team, forced FAU goalkeeper Sydney Drinkwater to come out of the goal but was unable to capitalize on the opportunity.
USF created multiple opportunities in the second half to tie the game. Junior Jackie Simpson was denied of a goal as her header landed in the hands of Drinkwater.
“We just took a long time to find a rhythm and really get dangerous,” Schilte-Brown said. “As we settled into the game, we gave up a soft goal. Then we really started to do some good things. But, if you give up one easy goal you're chasing the game. At the end of the game, we didn't catch up.”
Junior Cristina Ferral took a beautiful corner kick in the 65th minute, but FAU's keeper was once again there to make the save. With just under 15 minutes left to play, Stokes was able to break away from the pack but had her shot sail wide and hit the side netting.
“I thought [Demi] was going to convert on a bunch,” Schilte-Brown said. “She's a warrior. We actually hoped to rest her but we've got to take care of business now and we felt like she could help us.”
Moments later, Stokes once again had an opportunity to score the equalizer but Drinkwater was able to deflect the ball and capture the save. Moments later, freshman Ocean Parr had a beautiful kick sail just over the crossbar, allowing the Owls to maintain their 1-0 lead.
“I thought Ocean came in the game and didn't play like she was new,” Schilte-Brown said. “She just went out there and did what she's capable of doing.”
Despite the loss, the Bulls outshot the Owls 13-8 on the night and Aikman had four crucial saves.
The loss snapped the 18-game home-unbeaten streak for USF. The last home loss came in 2012 in the home opener against UCF.
The Bulls will be back in action this Sunday when they travel to Gainesville to take on Florida. They will be back at Corbett Stadium on Friday, Aug. 29 as they take on Navy at 7:30 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.
- #GoBulls -
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