By TOM ZEBOLD
USF Senior Writer
TAMPA, NOV. 13, 2015 – No. 14 USF turns its attention to the NCAA tournament after nearly pulling off a monster comeback in the American Athletic Conference Championship semifinals on Friday night.
Nazeem Bartman cut second-seeded USF's deficit in half in the 79th minute and numerous scoring chances followed before third-seeded UConn escaped with a 2-1 victory at Corbett Stadium.
Seeking a third straight trip to the conference final, the Bulls finished with a 15-10 shot advantage in their lone home loss of the season in 12 outings.
“We dug a hole we couldn't get out of in this case,” head coach George Kiefer said. “I felt if we had another minute or two we might have got caught up, but that's the game.”
UConn (9-5-5) will face fourth-seeded Tulsa in Sunday's 2 p.m. championship game back at Corbett Stadium.
Friday marked only the second time USF has given up multiple goals at home this season.The Huskies jumped ahead of USF in the 56th minute with Sebastian Brems' first goal of the season from the top of the box. UConn struck again less than two minutes later Abdou Thiam's 11th goal of the season.
USF (11-5-3) responded quickly and almost chipped away at the deficit with a scoring chance at close range. Bartman got a perfectly placed crossing pass and fired a shot that was blocked by a defender in the 60th minute.
The Bulls nearly found the net on five chances after Bartman's opportunity and the relentless effort eventually paid off. Bartman broke through on a free kick in the 79th minute with his team-leading eighth goal of the season.
USF almost got the equalizer in the 83rd minute, when Brendan Hines-Ike headed a crossing pass that zoomed over the net. Bartman had a shot blocked in the 85th minute and UConn keeper Scott Levene finished his busy night with seven saves.
“We were battling, they were battling and we gave it our all. Just at the end of the day, we couldn't get the goal,” Bartman said. “Their defenders were saving balls off the line and they were fighting for it.”
The Bulls now await Monday's Selection Show that will air live on NCAA.com at 1 p.m. USF has put itself in a solid position, ranking 12th nationally in the RPI and No. 2 in the NSCAA East Region.
“I still feel good that we'll get another game at Corbett, maybe even two. We just have to bounce back,” Kiefer said.
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.
