USF Athletics

By Joey Johnston
Special to USF Athletics

When it comes to winning American Athletic Conference championships, USF women's soccer coach Denise Schilte-Brown has a simple philosophy.

"The expectation has to be all along like you're going to win the conference,'' Schilte-Brown said. "If you think anything less of yourself, I don't think you get there.''

The overall goal is a given. The expectation was established. And the accomplishments have followed.

USF is chasing its fourth consecutive AAC crown and is shooting for their third AAC Tournament championship in the four seasons, adding to 2019 (defeating Memphis 2-0 in the final, then reaching the NCAA Tournament's Round of 16) and 2017 (beating UCF in penalty kicks for the AAC crown). The Bulls were AAC regular-season champions in 2018, when they reached the tournament final.

All told, USF has gone 48-13-3 since 2017, including a pair of AAC Tournament titles, a regular-season championship and three NCAA bids.

"Every year has gotten a little bit better and we're still looking for more,'' USF junior forward Sydny Nasello said. "When I came here as a little freshman, I'm not sure I knew what to expect. But this is a top 25 program with a national reputation. Players know what the standard is now, for sure, and we're all about keeping it going.''

"Since I've been here, we've only known that level (winning or contending for AAC honors),'' USF senior midfielder Sabrina Wagner said. "It's definitely a good feeling when you consider all the practices and training sessions leading up to that point. Holding that (AAC) trophy and getting to the NCAA Tournament, that's what it's all about.''

Lucy Roberts, a sophomore center back from England, was still acclimating herself to the American college system as a 2019 freshman when the Bulls played in the AAC Tournament. 

"I remember the urgency,'' Roberts said. "I remember playing UCF in the semifinals and thinking, 'We have to get this done so our season doesn't end right here.' And I knew throughout our team, losing was not an option, so I was excited to be part of a team that could take care of business.''

Roberts still has the cap, T-shirt and trophy replica she received for winning the tournament title. A few months later, Roberts and her teammates got personalized championship rings. Roberts put her ring away for safe keeping and hardly wears it, but she cherishes the memory.

"We couldn't get carried away right after winning it because we didn't have much time until the NCAA Tournament,'' Roberts said. "It is great to be known as the program that's expected to win the conference — and that's always a goal — but we also have other things in mind.

"The main thing is the mentality we have in this program. We come to win and we mean business. You know that when USF shows up, it's going to be a big, big challenge.''

There are precious few moments where you get to raise a trophy, take a bunch of photos and run around the field with your teammates. Those are some of the benefits to winning an AAC title.

Schilte-Brown said she's so locked in, she usually can't enjoy conference championships until much later.

"In the moment, it doesn't hit me like it does other people,'' Schilte-Brown said. "There's so much on the line mentally that, when you win it, it's almost exhausting and you need to relax a little bit.

"It's probably different for the young players, who are out there exerting all that energy. In recruiting, it's absolutely great to say you are conference champions. You love that. They're all awesome and I enjoy them all. But I also want to win a national championship. Until I've held that trophy, I don't if I'm ever going to feel like I'm done.''

AAC tournament success has provided confidence for USF's program. Schilte-Brown wants her players to take full advantage of that.

"When your program gets to the point where you're going to the NCAA Tournament and you're winning (conference) championships, you don't want on the pitch and wonder if you're going to win or not,'' Schilte-Brown said. "You walk on the pitch as returning champions. There's a confidence level you have and it helps you.

"If your program has built a legacy, even when you're a freshman and you've never put on a jersey for us, you still walk on the field with that mentality. It's like a gift you've been given. I believe in that because I've lived it. I've had good teams that didn't have any sort of legacy and they struggle in the last two minutes of the game because of the doubt.

"We have built some nice accomplishments in the conference over the last few years, but we are driven to keep going. There's work for us to do. We want to remain humble and focused. It's nice to hear compliments because you're a successful program, but you're only as good as your last game. We've won championships in the past, but it's not going to feel like much if we don't follow it up. So we're after the next one.''