GAINESVILLE, Fla., (Nov. 17, 2017) — USF's NCAA tournament run ended in the second round with a 1-0 loss to No. 16 Florida after a goal late in the first half Friday night.
As the minutes were winding down in the opening half, the Gators worked a play out to the left side, where Mayra Pelayo took a shot from 10 yards out to give UF the 1-0 lead in the 42nd minute.
The Bulls fought every minute of the match, vying for every ball. Senior Ocean Parr was focused as she made several important stops to help keep Florida from scoring any other goals in the second half.
Freshmen Sabrina Wagner (New Port Ritchey, Fla.) and Chyanne Dennis (Sunrise, Fla.) each played an impressive 90 minutes, holding off Canadian national team player, Deanne Rose.
No. 25 USF (13-4-2) can proudly look back on its season after capturing the program's first-ever American Athletic Conference tournament title. Under head coach Denise Schilte-Brown, the Bulls have posted six consecutive 10-plus win seasons.
Quotable
Head coach Denise Schilte-Brown on the setup of the team…
"We tried something different, there was a couple people out of position for us to slow down what we thought they were successful out so we were a little disjointed and not really executing what we were trying to do well."
Head coach Denise Schilte-Brown on Evelyne Viens' performance…
"We just feel like when you're playing your own team every day that they're comfortable with that kind of defending. Florida is more of a ticky-tacky attack trying to slip balls through, so one of our advices to Evelyne was to try and turn them and try to spin them. I think she had a lot of success. I think that early on she got taken down in the box, but she did a good job doing what she was trying to do. They are two really good center backs. I think Evelyne is one of the most dangerous strikers in the country, and I think she proved that tonight."
Senior Midfielder Jessica Hamrick on her Final Game…
"Obviously, it's hard to swallow right now, but I'm really proud of this team. It's a young group and I know that they are going to continue on for the next few years and keep going and get further than this."
Key Stat
12- The Gators outshot the Bulls, 12-4.
Notables
- Evelyne Viens (L'ancienne-Lorette, Quebec, Canada) and Andrea Hauksdottir each posted two shots.
- Viens had the Bulls' only shot on goal.
- Senior keeper Kat Elliott tallied six saves.
- This is the first USF loss in the past 11 games, since Oct. 8 against Cincinnati.
Be sure to follow USF women's soccer on social media (Twitter / Instagram/Facebook) and visit GoUSFBulls.com for the most up-to-date information. The USF women's soccer team has posted five consecutive seasons of 10-plus wins and six in the last seven years under head coach Denise Schilte-Brown. Schilte-Brown reached her 100th win with USF last season, and will begin her eleventh season as head coach in 2017. The Bulls made their first NCAA tournament appearance in 2010 and returned in 2014 & 2015.
-#GoBulls-
