TEAMS: FGCU (1-1-1) at USF (4-2-0)
DATE/TIME: Saturday, Sept.19/7 p.m.
LOCATION: Corbett Stadium
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By TOM ZEBOLD
USF Senior Writer
TAMPA, SEPT. 18, 2015 – USF men's soccer puts its perfect home record on the line 7 p.m. Saturday against in-state rival Florida Gulf Coast University at Corbett Stadium.
USF (4-2) is 4-0 in front of its home fans this season with three shutouts. The Bulls opened a four-game homestand with a 2-1 victory over Georgia Southern on Sept. 11 before rolling past North Florida, 2-0, on Monday night.
USF has outscored opponents, 8-1, at Corbett Stadium this season and head coach George Kiefer likes what the Bulls are doing in front of the opponent's net.
“I think what you're seeing in our attacks is we're creating a lot of chances,” Kiefer said. “When we create chances, as a coach, you always look for how many guys were next to the play, how many guys got forward. You're seeing three, four, five guys, sometimes all looking to get goals, which is a nice treat.”
USF will look to stay perfect at home against a FGCU team that's well rested. The Eagles (1-1-1) haven't played since a 3-2 home victory over Princeton on Thursday, Sept. 10. FGCU's Sept. 12 home game against Penn was canceled due to torrential rain and lightning.
Like USF, FGCU has been tested early by strong opponents. The Eagles opened the season with a 0-0 tie against then-No. 3 Georgetown on Aug. 28 and fell, 1-0, at No. 20 Wake Forest on Sept. 5.
“Gulf Coast has done similar things. They've been at Wake Florida, they've played Georgetown at home,” Kiefer said. “This is another really good match for us and it's a game the locker room is really looking forward to.”
The Bulls are 3-2-2 all-time against FGCU and will be looking to avenge a 2-0 loss to the Eagles in Fort Myers last August.
“They play good soccer and they move the ball well,” Kiefer said.
Bulls' Defense Getting the Job Done
USF is tied for the conference lead with three shutouts and ranks third in the league with a 0.83 goals against average. Junior Spasoje Stefanovic ranks fourth in The American with 19 total saves and the league's preseason goalkeeper of the year is coming off a career performance. Stefanovic made nine saves against North Florida and he's given up just five goals in 540 minutes.
Eagles Have Had to Deal With Weather
FGCU's three games this season are tied for the fewest in the country and it's because of the weather. Before the Penn game was called, the Eagles' test against UCF was canceled after two lightning delays. FGCU had a 2-0 lead on the Knights, but the game was declared a “no contest” just 7 minutes shy of being official.
Next Up for USF
Following the FGCU game, USF opens conference play at home against UConn on Saturday, Sept. 26 at Corbett Stadium. The contest is scheduled for 7 p.m. and fans can reserve their seats at USFBullsTix.com.
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 Kieferhas 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.
