GREENVILLE, N.C., March 7, 2021 – The University of South Florida women's soccer team defeated the East Carolina Pirates, 1-0, in Greenville on Sunday to remain undefeated in conference play and move to 3-0-1 on the season.
 
Sydney Martinez (Rincon, Ga.) posted her fourth consecutive clean sheet in the match with a one-save shutout. Sydny Nasello (Land O' Lakes, Fla.) led the Bulls with four shots, along with Vivianne Bessette (Montreal, Quebec, Canada) and Serita Thurton (Ajax, Ontario, Canada) contributing three shots a piece.
 
The Bulls put pressure on the ECU defense from the start, outshooting the Pirates 8-3 in the first 30 minutes. East Carolina took its only shot on goal in the 22^nd minute, but Martinez made the stop.
 
Going into the break tied, the Bulls' offensive pressure continued in the second half with South Florida recording seven shot attempts after posting an 11-4 shot advantage in the first 45 minutes. The game-winning goal came in the 83^rd minute with a long range shot by Meghan Cavanaugh (Clifton Park, N.Y.), which beat ECU's Maeve English to give the Bulls the conference victory.
 
Quotable
Head coach Denise Schilte-Brown on the game…
"Today's match was not easy. The Pirates were ready for us and it took us a long time to gain momentum. I'm proud of the girls for fighting through to the end and pulling out a victory. Good teams find a way to win even on a bad day."
 
Notables

• This is the first time in program history that the Bulls have opened the season with four consecutive shutout efforts.
• USF out-shot its opponent for the fourth time this year with a 18-6 (5-1 on goal) margin against East Carolina.
• This is the fifth time historically the Bulls have posted four consecutive shutout efforts. Other such stretches occurred in 1995, 2012, 2016 and 2017.

 
Up Next
The Bulls return home for a conference matchup against Tulsa on Saturday, March 13. Kickoff is scheduled for 7 p.m. at Corbett Stadium. The match will be broadcast on ESPN+ and is senior day for the Bulls. Fan attendance is limited to pass list only at Corbett Stadium.

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-