TAMPA, FLA., SEPT. 30, 2017 – The University of South Florida men's soccer team preserved an undefeated record at home Saturday night with a 5-2 victory over Cincinnati. The Bulls scored five goals at Corbett Stadium for the second time this season thanks to goals from three newcomers.
 
Freshman Adrian Billhardt (Berlin, Germany) led the Bulls (5-3-1, 2-0 The American) with two goals while newcomers Trey Jackson (Ocala, Fla.) and Alex Zis (Oakville, Ontario, Canada) each added a goal. Senior Gonzalo Rodriguez (Coustituciou, Chile) scored the game-winning goal in the 64^th minute. The midfielder also added an assist.
 
The Bulls went down, 1-0, in the 19^th minute but Jackson evened the score, 1-1, in the 35^th minute. The freshman slipped the ball past the goal keeper on the near side on a pass from Tomasz Skublak (Hamilton, Ontario, Canada). Ricardo Gomez (Gainesville, Ga.) was also credited with an assist.
 
A Cincinnati (5-4-1, 0-2 The American) foul in the box awarded USF with a penalty kick in the 47^th minute and Billhardt gave USF a 2-1. The Bearcats battled back to a 2-2 score before Rodriguez scored the game winning goal in the 63^rd minute. USF garnered a corner kick and after the ball was knocked around in the box, Avionne Flanagan (Baltimore, Md.) gained control, and passed to Rodriguez for the goal.
 
USF extended its lead to 4-2 in the 79^th minute when Zis forced a Bearcats turnover and buried an unassisted goal from 20 yards. Billhardt scored his second goal in the 86^th minute for a 5-2 victory.
 
Christian Knight (Odessa, Fla.) improved his season record to 4-0-1.

KEY STAT:
25: USF took a season high 25 shots Saturday night, but more impressively limited the Bearcats to two shots the entire match.
 
NOTABLES: 

• The Bulls improved to 5-0 at home this season.
• USF scored five goals for the second time this year. The Bulls defeated North Florida, 5-1, Sept. 20. This marks the first time since 2007 that USF has had two five-plus goal games in the same season.  
• The Bulls took a season high 25 shots, marking just the second time in 2017 USF has taken 20-plus shot attempts.  
• Billhardt leads the Bulls with five goals (15 points, 5 goals-5 assists). Saturday was the freshman's second two goal game. Billhardt also scored two goals against North Florida (Sept. 20).
• The Bulls raised their season assist total to 21. Entering Saturday's match, USF ranked 14^th in Division I with 18 assists.

 
UP NEXT:
USF takes a six-day hiatus before hitting the road for a rematch of the American Athletic Conference Tournament championship. The Bulls will play at Tulsa Oct. 7. USF returns to Corbett Stadium Oct. 13 to face UConn. The match will be the Bulls' first ever Socctoberfest.
 
On Dec. 18 Bob Butehorn was appointed the head coach the USF men's soccer program. A member of the University of Tampa's 1981 national championship team and a three-time conference coach of the year, Butehorn previously led Florida Gulf Coast University's men's soccer program to six conference regular season championships, four NCAA Tournament appearances and Top 25 rankings in five seasons since 2010.
 
The Bulls concluded the season as The American regular season champions and advanced to the NCAA Tournament. The Bulls finished the season with a 10-6-4 overall record and a 6-1-0 mark in the American Athletic Conference.
 
Follow the men's soccer team on social media (Twitter | Facebook | Instagram) and visit GoUSFBulls.com for the most up-to-date information.
 
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