DATE/TIME: Saturday, Oct. 24, 7 p.m.
OPPONENT: SMU Mustangs
LOCATION: Tampa, Fla. | Corbett Stadium
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TAMPA, OCT. 23, 2015 – The USF men's soccer team will look to remain undefeated in conference play and at home as they welcome first-place SMU to Corbett Stadium Saturday night.
The Bulls currently boast a 10-3-1 record with an 8-0-0 home record. The Bulls have shut out five of their eight home opponents and scored at least two goals in all but one of the victories.
The Bulls are currently 5-0-1 in conference play and have allowed just two goals in six games. USF is coming off a dominating 3-1 win over in-state rival UCF Wednesday night. Melvin Becket, Nazeem Bartman and Brandon Riley all recorded a goal in the victory.
Leading the Bulls is Nazeem Bartman with 17 points (six goals, five assists) on the season. Bartman has either scored or assisted on a goal in the five conference games that USF has recorded at least one goal. Melvin Becket is second on the team with seven points on three goals and two assists. In goal, Spasoje Stefanovic has played all 1280 minutes, recording 41 saves for a .63 goals against average. Stefanovic has allowed just nine goals on the year, just two at home, and has recorded seven shutouts.
SCOUTING SMU
The Mustangs lead the American conference with a perfect 6-0 record. SMU is currently ranked No. 12 in the country and is 11-2-2 on the season, with a 3-1-1 road record. The Mustangs have surrendered four goals in conference play, while shutting out UConn and Cincinnati. Away from Westcott Field, the Mustangs are 3-1-1.
Leading SMU is Maura Cichero with 24 points on nine goals and six assists. Eight other players have tallied at least one goal with five recording at least three. In goal, Michael Nelson has played 1424 minutes, making 57 saves and allowing 16 goals. He boasts a 1.01 goals against average and has recorded six shutouts.
ALL-TIME SERIES
USF leads the all-time series 3-1-1 with a 2-0-0 home advantage. The two teams met on Oct. 18 last season and played to a 2-2 draw in Dallas. The lone loss for the Bulls came back in 2005 when they fell 2-1 in overtime at SMU.
QUICK STRIKES
• The Bulls are undefeated in nine of their last ten games, outscoring opponents 16-5 in that time frame
• USF is currently ranked No. 11 in the country by TopDrawerSoccer. In the NSCAA poll, the Bulls appeared at No. 13 this week.
• USF opened conference play with a 1-0 win over UConn for the team's second win over the Huskies. The Bulls avenged a home loss last season with the victory.
• USF is 40-2-6 overall in the last five years when scoring at least twice. The Bulls are also 71-3-6 at home under George Kiefer (since 2002) when scoring two or more goals.
• The Bulls were picked to finish third in the American Athletic Conference Preseason Coaches' Poll.
• The Bulls brought in the No. 3 ranked signing class in the country according to College Soccer News.
• USF registered double-digit wins (10) last season for the first time since 2011.
• The Bulls have one of the most diverse rosters in all of college soccer, with players representing 15 different countries.
UP NEXT
The Bulls will host Old Dominion in their final non-conference game of the season Tuesday, Oct. 27 at 7 p.m. Tuesday's game will also be the final home game of the regular season and Senior Day.
The men's soccer program has been one of the most successful on campus over the years, advancing to seven NCAA tournaments in the last eight seasons. The Bulls return 13 letterwinners and five starters from 2014 on top of bringing in the third-ranked signing class according to College Soccer News. They won the inaugural American Athletic Conference Championship in 2013 and head coach George Kiefer has also led the Bulls to two Elite Eight appearances and four conference/division titles in his 13 seasons as the head man. Follow the men's soccer team on social media (Twitter | Facebook | Instagram) and visit GoUSFBulls.com for the most up-to-date information. Purchase tickets HERE.
- #BullsUnite -
