USF Athletics

USF Headlines AAC End of Season Awards

April 14, 2021

TAMPA, Fla., April 14, 2021 – After earning its fourth conference title in the last four seasons, the University of South Florida women's soccer team was well represented in the American Athletic Conference year-end honors that the league released on Wednesday. In total, the team received 12 recognitions in the awards.
 
"I'm so proud of the effort that the team has put in on the field this season," head coach Denise Schilte-Brown said. "It's not easy to put together an undefeated regular season. The number of recognitions that we have in the conference awards is a representation of how well this team has overcome the challenges we have faced. Everyone has helped on the team this season, but seniors Chyanne Dennis and Sabrina Wagner, the upperclassmen of Sydny Nasello and Sydney Martinez, and the freshmen Vivianne Bessette and Chiara Hahn have all been tremendous for us this year and I couldn't be more proud of them for earning the recognition that these awards bring them."
 
Sydny Nasello (Land O' Lakes, Fla.) was named AAC Offensive Player of the Year, while Chyanne Dennis (Sunrise, Fla.) earned the title of AAC Co-Defensive Player of the Year. The league's coaches also voted Sydney Martinez (Rincon, Ga.) as the conference's goalkeeper of the year. Additionally, Schilte-Brown and her staff were voted as the AAC Coaching Staff of the Year.
 
Nasello, Dennis, Martinez, Vivianne Bessette (Montreal, Quebec, Canada) and Chiara Hahn (Lauterbach, Germany) were all named to the All-Conference First Team list. Sabrina Wagner (New Port Richey, Fla.) was voted to the All-Conference Second Team roster, while Bessette and Hahn also earned a spot on the AAC All-Rookie Team.
 
Nasello has paced USF scorers this season, tallying 13 points via four goals and five assists this season. She's recorded three game-winning goals, helping the winning effort against Florida Atlantic (Feb. 7), UCF (March 21) and Memphis (April 3). The junior forward is ranked in the top 25 nationally in three statistical categories (21st in assists per game, 1st in penalty kick percentage, and 22nd in shots on goal per game).
 
Dennis has been a critical part of USF's defensive effort this season. In nine games, as a part of the backline, Dennis has helped limit opposing offenses to just four goals and 28 shots on goal. She assisted in posting five consecutive shutout efforts to begin the year and USF's defense has not allowed more than one goal in any game yet this season.
 
Martinez is a wall in net for the Bulls, recording the five shutout efforts in net to begin the year and posting a 0.42 goals-against average (19th in the country) with a 0.857 save percentage. Among active NCAA DI goalkeepers, she ranks 16th with a 0.80 goals-against average. She helped USF post a program-record five shutouts to begin the season and assists a team effort that saw the Bulls go undefeated in the regular season for the second time in team history.
 
Bessette immediately made an impact on the team in her freshman year. In her first match with the team, she scored a goal and tallied an assist while playing 78 minutes against FAU (Feb. 7). In total this season, she has recorded two goals and two assists for six points, ranking third on the team. She's also recorded 825 minutes of play out of 850 possible minutes, which also ranks third on the team.
 
Hahn, like Bessette, also earned a playing spot as a true freshman. As a midfielder, she has greatly assisted USF's tactical effort on both sides of the ball. She played in seven of USF's nine matches this year and was named AAC Rookie of the Week for her efforts against Temple (Feb. 21).
 
Wagner, a four-year starter for the USF program, has been a critical part of the team in the 2020 season. Ranking fourth among USF's scorers with two goals and one assist for five points, she was also an important part of a defensive effort that limited opposing scorers to 0.44 goals per game this season.
 
This is the second time Schilte-Brown and her staff has been named The American Coaching Staff of the Year, the other being 2018 when the Bulls also won the regular-season title. This year, her staff has been comprised of herself, associate head coach Chris Brown, associate head coach Iban Lopez and volunteer assistant Erich Leite. The staff guided the team through an undefeated regular season, the program's first since 1998 and only second all-time.
 
The Bulls host the 2020 American Athletic Conference Women's Soccer Tournament on April 15 and 17. USF opens its play in the tournament on April 15 at 7 p.m., with a semifinal match against fourth-seeded East Carolina. The winner will play the victor of Memphis against Cincinnati (April 15 at 3 p.m.) on April 17 at 2 p.m. All games will be broadcast on ESPN+.

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. South Florida has won four consecutive conference championships, earning the tournament title in 2017 and 2019 as well as the regular season title in 2018 and capturing at least a share of the title in 2020.
 
-#GoBulls-