TAMPA, Fla., Nov. 4, 2021 – The University of South Florida women's soccer team is heading to its seventh American Athletic Conference Tournament finals match in nine seasons after a 2-0 win over No. 17 SMU on Thursday evening.
 
Sydny Nasello (Land O' Lakes, Fla.) and Lucy Roberts (Cheshire, England) scored USF's goals in the win, while Sydney Martinez (Rincon, Ga.) tallied five saves in net for the Bulls.
 
The teams each had opportunities in the first half, but USF's Martinez and SMU's Samantha Estrada kept the opposition off the scoreboard. Martinez tallied two saves in the opening 45, while Estrada made four.
 
Coming out of the break scoreless, USF was able to break through in the second half. Just over 10 minutes into the half, Nasello launched a shot from distance that found net to give the Bulls a 1-0 lead in the 56^th minute. It was the Floridian's 11^th goal of the season.
 
With SMU still pressuring, South Florida looked for another opportunity to cash in on a goal. The Bulls found paydirt with Roberts heading a Nasello corner kick past Estrada to put USF up by two with just over 15 minutes to play.
 
Martinez kept the Mustangs off the board entirely, making three saves in the frame to clinch her fourth straight shutout.
 
Notables

• Seven Bulls played in all 90 minutes in the semifinals match.
• The Bulls are heading to their seventh AAC championship match on Sunday. USF has only failed to make The American final in two seasons and has won three tournament titles in program history.
• Martinez has posted 22 career shutouts.
• Nasello took six shots on goal in the game.

 
Up Next
The Bulls play for their fifth consecutive conference championship on Sunday against Memphis. Kickoff is scheduled for noon on ESPNews.
 
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 eight consecutive seasons of 10-plus wins and nine in the last 10 years under head coach Denise Schilte-Brown. The Bulls made their first NCAA tournament appearance in 2010 and returned in 2014, 2015, 2017, 2018, 2019 and 2020. South Florida has five consecutive seasons with a conference championship, earning the tournament title in 2017, 2019 and 2020 as well as the regular-season title in 2018, 2020 and 2021. The program had its first draft pick and second-highest pick in USF Athletics history with Evelyne Viens being taken with the fifth overall pick in the 2020 NWSL Draft by Sky Blue FC, now Gotham FC.

-#GoBulls-