TAMPA, AUG. 26, 2016 – After 110 minutes of physical action, the University of South Florida men's soccer team drew its opening night match against the Michigan Wolverines on Friday at Corbett Stadium.
Playing a man down for the last 51 minutes after Nazeem Bartman (Cape Town, South Africa) was shown a red card, the Bulls defense rallied to keep the Wolverines at bay. USF held Michigan scoreless despite five shots in the final three periods, two on goal after Bartman's departure. Veteran center backs Prosper Figbe (Ilorin, Nigeria) and Michael Bajza (St. Petersburg, Fla.) held the Bulls together, for their first shutout of the season. In his debut for USF, Christian Knight (Odessa, Fla.) tallied three saves.
Gonzalo Rodriguez (Coustitucio, Chile) and Bartman led the Bulls with two shots each, while freshman Luis Garza (El Paso, Texas) added one.
Quotables:
“I was proud of the way our guys battled,” said head coach George Kiefer. “I thought they did a really good job of managing their discipline and I'm really pleased with the group right now.”
Key Stat:
USF held a 5-3 corner kick advantage, and had a 3-0 edge in the first 45 minutes of action.
Notables:
Three Bulls played all 110 minutes despite the heat. Knight collected all 110 minutes in the net, joined by Liam McNally (Swansea, Wales) and Melvin Becket (Melbourne, Australia) on the field.
Up Next:
USF returns to Corbett Stadium Monday night at 7 p.m. and hosts American University in nonconference action. The Bulls will meet the Eagles for the fourth time in program history. The last time American made the trip to Tampa, USF ran away with a 6-1 victory in 2007.
The Bulls ended the 2015 campaign in the second round of the NCAA Tournament and an 11-6-3 overall record (5-1-2 The American). Head coach George Kiefer was named the National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA) East Region Coach of the Year. Kiefer led USF to its eighth NCAA tournament appearance in the past nine years and earned the No. 2 ranking in the NSCAA East Region. The Bulls posted double-digit wins for the ninth time under Kiefer in 14 seasons and went undefeated at home during the regular season.
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