By TOM ZEBOLD
USF Senior Writer

TAMPA, NOV. 2, 2018 – Conference regular season champion USF is one win away from its second ring of the season after defeating East Carolina, 2-0, in Friday's second semifinal at Corbett Stadium.

The No. 16/11 Bulls (14-2-0, 9-1-0) will look to defend their American Athletic Conference tournament title in Sunday's championship game against second-seeded Memphis that's set for a noon start at Corbett Stadium.

USF extended its home winning streak to 15 games after scoring in each half on goals by junior Aubrey Megrath (West Palm Beach, Fla.) and American Offensive Player of the Year Evelyne Viens (L'Ancienne-Lorette, Canada). The Bulls have outscored opponents, 48-11, this season and haven't lost at Corbett Stadium since Aug. 27, 2017.

Freshman all-conference keeper Sydney Martinez (Rincon, Ga.) made two saves in her fourth solo shutout of the season. USF's relentless defense limited fourth-seeded ECU to 10 total shots compared to the Bulls' 21 (11 on goal).

USF started its eighth straight victory in dominant fashion with a 13-4 shot advantage in the first half that saw the Bulls take a 1-0 lead in the seventh minute.

The nation's top scoring offense applied the pressure right away and it paid off when Megrath sent home her seventh goal of the season off a rebounded header from Brianna Blethen (Bradenton, Fla.). Megrath has scored three goals in the past four games and Blethen has two assists in the last three outings.

USF got an insurance goal in the 68^th minute, when Viens took on numerous defenders and produced her school record 19^th score of the season in solo fashion. The star junior forward headed into Friday's conference clash leading the nation in goals per game (1.20), points (41) and points per game (2.73).

Quotable

Key Stats
21 – USF finished with a 21-10 shot advantage with 11 shots on goal.
15 – The Bulls have won 15 straight games at Corbett Stadium and they're 10-0 at home this year.
4 –  USF has a appeared in four American Athletic Conference Championships, two more than any other team

Notables

• USF is headed to The American tournament championship for the second straight season and for the fourth time in the past six years.
• USF won its 15^th consecutive home game and improved to 29-3-3 at Corbett Stadium since 2015. The Bulls have gone 22-3-3 in conference home games through the past four seasons.
• USF hasn't lost an American Athletic Conference match at home since a 1-0 setback against SMU on Sept. 29, 2016.  
• USF registered its seventh shutout this season while the Bulls have a 37-6 scoring advantage on opponents during their 10-0 run at home this season.
• With one score Friday night, Evelyne Viens added to her school records for goals in a season (19) and career goals (46). Viens needs only one more point to match the USF single-season record (44).
• Fourth-seeded ECU heading into Friday's matchup on a four-game unbeaten streak since a 4-0 loss to USF in Tampa on Oct. 7.
• USF moved up to No. 16 in this week's United Soccer Coaches poll and is ranked No. 11 nationally by Top Drawer Soccer. USF has been nationally ranked for 10 straight weeks.

Up Next
Top-seeded USF will take on second-seeded Memphis in the American Athletic Conference tournament championship game noon Sunday at Corbett Stadium. The game will air on ESPNU a 2 p.m. 

No. 19 Memphis earned a trip to the title match with a 1-0 victory over third-seeded UCF in Friday's first semifinal game. Earlier this season, Evelyne Viens provided the scoring in USF's 2-0 win at Memphis on Oct. 14. Her two goals in that match were the last she needed to break the USF record for career goals. 

Purchase tickets by calling 1-800-Go-Bulls or at the USF ticket office outside Corbett Stadium. Sunday's title game will be televised nationally on ESPNU.
 
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 seven consecutive seasons of 10-plus wins and nine in the last ten years under head coach Denise Schilte-Brown. The Bulls made their first NCAA tournament appearance in 2010 and returned in 2014, 2015 and 2017.