Bulls Hit the Road to Tame the Huskies
Matchup:USF Bulls (2-5-0) vs. UConn Huskies (4-2-1)
Date:Saturday, Sept. 22, 2018
Time:7 p.m.
Location:Storrs, Conn.// Joseph J. Morrone Stadium
Twitter Updates:@USFMSoc
TAMPA, Fla., Sept 21, 2018 --The USF men's soccer team will travel to Storrs, Conn., to take on the UConn Huskies and begin American Athletic Conference play on Saturday night at Joseph J. Morrone Stadium at 7 p.m.
Bulls Looking to Bounce Back
The Bulls head into the match following their 3-5 defeat against the FGCU Eagles. In
Bob Butehorn's return to FGCU where he coached from 2007-2016, the Bulls fell behind by three goals in the first half before rallying back to a one-goal match. USF started its comeback push right before the stroke of halftime, with
Kori Cupid (Chaguanas, Trinidad), opening the scoring for the Bulls off an
Alex Zis' (Ontario, Canada), assist. Cupid's goal was the first of his career.
USF inched closer at the start of the second half, as
Alex Zis slotted home a penalty kick in the 63
rdminute. The spot-kick was won by
Avionne Flanagan after he was brought down in the box by an Eagles' defender, marking the second time in two games the pair were awarded a penalty and earned a goal. But the Bulls would get no closer, as the Eagles' Shak Adams scored in the 65
thminute, only minutes after USF had cut the Eagles' lead to one goal, to complete his hat-trick and effectively seal the match for FGCU. The Bulls would add another goal to their tally in the 90
thminute via
Stephen Rudderham (St. Petersburg, Fla.).
USF has been performing offensively and it showed with 16 shots, including seven on target against FGCU. Before FGCU, USF had defeated FAU 4-1 in Tampa after a 1-0 defeat of Ohio State just days earlier.
Goalkeeper
Kazuna Takase (Tomoto, Japan), had his USF debut in the 63
rdminute of the match when he came on for
Harrison Devenish-Meares (Sydney, Australia). Devenish-Meares has started every contest for the Bulls.
"I've been pleased with our effort so far, but I am looking forward to them getting the result," head coach
Bob Butehorn said. "The goal is to execute the game plan, stay on task, stay focused and execute our tactics. It's anybody's league. UCF and UConn have had good starts but we are set to take care of business on the road."
The Opponent
UConn comes into the match off the heels of a 3-2 victory over Loyola-Maryland. The Huskies are currently 4-2-1 on the season.
UConn's leading goal scorer is Abdou Mbacke Thiam. Mbacke Thiam has five goals in six games on 25 shots, with 14 shots on goal. Three of Mbacke Thiam's five goals came in the Huskies previous match against Loyola Maryland. The Huskies have two starting goalkeepers, with Austin Aviza starting four matches, while Gianluca Catalano has started two matches this season.
Notable
- USF and UConn begin American Athletic Conference play in Saturday's matchup.
- The Bulls won their last trip to Storrs, Conn., in October of 2016 by the score line of 1-0. UConn owns the edge in the all-time series record with a 12-3-3 record over USF.
- On the season USF has six different goal scorers in seven matches.
Up Next
The Bulls head back home to face the Stetson Hatters on Tuesday Sep 29, at 7 p.m. at Corbett Stadium.
About USF Men's Soccer
The Bulls concluded the 2017 regular season with a 6-6-4 overall record and finished fifth in the American Athletic Conference with a 3-2-2 mark. Head Coach Bob Butehorn leads the Bulls in his second season at the helm in 2018.
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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