No. 20/17 Women’s Soccer Hosts Houston and SMU
TAMPA, Oct. 17, 2018 – No. 20/17 USF women's soccer will host American Athletic Conference opponents Houston and SMU as it tries to hold onto the top spot in the league. The first 100 fans at the Houston match will receive a free "Horns Up" pink fanny pack.
USF (10-2-0, 5-1-0) returns to Corbett Stadium in hopes of maintaining its 11-game home winning streak. The Bulls haven't lost a home contest since Aug. 2017, and are 8-0-2 in league play at home dating back to 2016.
The Bulls jumped up to No. 20 in United Soccer Coaches poll and No. 17 in Top Drawer Soccer rankings this week after an undefeated weekend on the road against Tulsa and then-ranked No. 15 Memphis. The Bulls have won four straight, and reached their seventh straight 10-plus win season with two victories over the weekend.
All-American
Evelyne Viens (Canada) recorded her 42
nd and 43
rd career goals to break the all-time record for career goals at USF (set at 41) when she netted two against Memphis on Sunday. This feat comes at an impressive time for the striker who is just a junior this season. Viens is two goals away from breaking the season goal record which she matched as a freshman. The record is currently set at 16.
The Bulls' defensive effort against what was the No. 2 scoring offense in the country, Memphis, was unstoppable.
Kelli Burney (Bealeton, Va.) earned The American Defender of the Week honor and freshman
Sydney Martinez (Rincon, Ga.) earned The American Goalkeeper of the Week honor.
Burney helped hold Tulsa to just seven shots and scored one of USF's two goals in that match, while USF's Martinez was unbelievable against Memphis. She set a new career-high 10 saves in with her second solo shutout of the season.
Houston (7-7-2, 3-2-1) // Thursday, Oct. 18 at 7 p.m. // Breast Cancer Awareness
The first 100 fans at the match on Thursday will receive a free pink fanny pack for breast cancer awareness month.
The Cougars currently rank fourth in The American and are coming off a bye week. Houston has conference wins over UConn, ECU and Tulsa, and drew Cincinnati on the road.
Houston has outscored opponents this season, 27-25, and averages 1.69 goals per game. The Cougars' top scorer is Desiree Bowen, a junior forward with six goals this season including two, two-goal games. Freshman Cassidy Formanek has been a strong defender for Houston, and leads the team in minutes played with 1,160. She has played full minutes in five contests this season.
Houston has two strong keepers in senior Rachel Estopare and junior Samantha Cude. The veteran duo have two shutouts this season. Each has faced over 100 shots, but Estopare leads with 45 saves and a .763 save percentage.
USF leads the series against the Cougars, 9-4-0, and only have one loss at home to Houston.
SMU (8-5-1, 3-3-0) // Sunday, Oct. 21 at 1 p.m. // Postgame Autographs
The Mustangs rank fifth in the conference, just below Houston. Before facing the Bulls on Sunday, SMU will take a trip to Orlando to take on UCF Thursday.
The Mustangs opened conference play with three straight wins over Temple, UConn and Cincinnati, but have since dropped three straight matches in The American. SMU is also coming of a bye week. They are averaging 2.14 goals per game and rank third in The American for goals-against average (1.195), save percentage (.79) and points per game (5.71).
Allie Thornton leads the Mustangs in goals with eight this season and three game-winners. SMU looks to senior Haley Thompson to hold down the back line. The defender has started all 14 games this season, and has recorded 1,138 minutes on the pitch.
Catie Brown has spent 998 minutes in goal for the Mustangs, and has a 7-3-1 record. She has two shutouts this season and has faced 123 shots. The senior has a .820 save percentage with a .99 goals-against average.
USF leads the series against SMU, 4-1-1. The Bulls' only loss to the Mustangs was the last loss USF has suffered in league play at Corbett Stadium back in 2016. Last season, the Bulls defeated SMU to advance to the championship match in The American Tournament.
Notables
- USF leads the nation in scoring offense with 3.08 goals per game
- USF leads the American in nine different categories
- Evelyne Viens (Canada) ranks in the top 10 nationally in six categories, and leads the country in two of those categories
- No. 1 in goals per game (1.25)
- No. 1 in points per game (2.83)
- No. 2 in total goals (15)
- No. 2 in total points (34)
- No. 5 in shots per game (5.25)
- No. 5 in shots on goal per game (2.75)
- Viens is the active career leader in the nation in two categories, goals per game (.86) and points per game (2.06)
- Viens ranks third in points (103) and fifth in goals (43) on the active career leader list
- USF had two Bulls named The American Player of the Week: Kelli Burney (defensive) and Sydney Martinez (goalkeeper)
- Nationally, USF ranks No. 9 in assists per game (2.5), No. 11 in goals (37), No. 14 in points (104) and No. 15 in win-loss-tie percentage (.833)
- Andrea Hauksdottir leads The American in total assists (7) and assists per game (.58)
- Martinez has the best goals-against average (.695) in The American and ranks second in save percentage (.825)
- Aubrey Megrath leads The American in shot accuracy (.571)
About USF Women's Soccer
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 six consecutive seasons of 10-plus wins and eight in the last nine years under head coach Denise Schilte-Brown. The Bulls made their first NCAA tournament appearance in 2010 and returned in 2014, 2015 and 2017.
-#GoBulls-
