TAMPA, Fla., March 21, 2021 – The No. 16 University of South Florida women's soccer team continued its undefeated start to the 2020 campaign with a 2-1 win on Sunday night against the UCF Knights.
 
Sydny Nasello (Land O' Lakes, Fla.) and Sabrina Wagner (New Port Richey, Fla.) tallied USF's goals, while Solveig Johannesdottir Larsen (Kopavogur, Iceland) and Nasello picked up assists in the game.
 
Defenses stood strong for most of the first half. Each team tallied three shots in the first 33 minutes to begin the game, but play was mainly contained to midfield. South Florida broke through the defensive stalemate first, with Wagner netting a goal off assists from Larsen and Nasello. The Bulls would take the 1-0 lead into the half.
 
UCF evened the score in the 71^st minute. Mathilde Kack scored on a header to even the game. Five minutes later, Nasello found herself in the box on transition and was fouled, forcing a penalty kick. The junior converted, giving USF a 2-1 lead with less than 15 minutes to play.
 
The Bulls defense locked down the Knights for the rest of the game, giving USF the victory.
 
Quotable
Head coach Denise Schilte-Brown on tonight's game…
"We weren't really executing our tactics that well in the first half, but I was so proud of the group because once you get into a rhythm of playing one way, it's not easy to change. We went into halftime and talked about what we were trying to accomplish, then they came out and were brilliant at it. They really stuck to the tactics. Unfortunately, they let up the goal but I love the maturity of the group to settle down, relax and fight to get the goal back."
 
Notables

• The Bulls posted 541 shutout minutes to begin the 2020 campaign.
• USF is undefeated through the first six games for the first time since 2016, when the team started 8-0 to begin the year.
• The Bulls have outscored opponents by an 11-1 margin so far this season, also paired with 96-28 shots advantage and a 45-10 shots on goal advantage.

 
Up Next
The Bulls are back on the road for two games in one week. USF begins with a match at SMU on Thursday, March 25 at 7 p.m. and then travel to Houston for a match on Sunday, March 28 at 2 p.m.

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 and 2019.
 
-#GoBulls-