TAMPA, Fla., April 17, 2021 – The No. 14/15 University of South Florida women's soccer team used a 4-0 victory over the Cincinnati Bearcats to claim the title of American Athletic Conference Tournament Champions for the second straight season.
 
It was the Bulls' sixth trip to the AAC Championship match and their third victory. In total, the team has captured five titles (three tournaments, two regular seasons) since joining The American. 
 
Sydny Nasello (Land O' Lakes, Fla.) recorded a brace in the championship match, while Sydney Martinez (Rincon, Ga.) tallied her seventh shutout of the season. Paula Leblic (Madrid, Spain) tallied three points via a goal and an assist. 
 
Nasello started the scoring early, using a pass from Leblic to record her fifth goal of the season and give the Bulls a 1-0 lead in the seventh minute. Defenses prevailed for the remainder of the first half, sending USF to the locker room with a one-goal lead.
 
USF came out of the break determined to put the game out of reach. After a foul in the box, Nasello scored her second of the game in the 57^th minute on a penalty kick, and Leblic made the score 3-0 with her fourth goal of the year in the 67^th minute. 
 
Meghan Cavanaugh (Clifton Park, N.Y.) capped the scoring with her third goal of the season, giving USF a 4-0 victory and the American Athletic Conference's automatic bid to the NCAA tournament. 
 
Nasello was named the American Athletic Conference Tournament's Most Outstanding Offensive Player, while Martinez was named the tournament's Most Outstanding Defensive Player. Nasello, Martinez, Leblic, Solveig Larsen (Kopavogur, Iceland) and Rosalia Muino (Coruna, Spain) all earned a spot on the All-Tournament team. 
 
Quotable
Head coach Denise Schilte-Brown on the team…
"This is a special group. They're very disciplined. They've enjoyed the plan and like the way that we play. They've really grabbed hold of it and this is has been a climb for our entire program. I think that each year we're getting better at what we're trying to accomplish and this group has really done a good job with it."
 
Notables

• This is the first time the Bulls have captured a conference's regular-season and tournament titles in the same season. 
• USF has posted an 11-2-5 record in the American Athletic Conference tournament since the league's inception in 2013. 
• The Bulls outshot Cincinnati 24-8 (10-3 in shots on goal). USF's shot differential now stands at plus-93 on the season, or plus-8.5 shots per game. 
• Through the regular season and the conference tournament, South Florida has only allowed four total goals or 0.36 per game. 

 
Up Next
The Bulls will play in the NCAA tournament. The first round will be played on April 27 and 28. USF will find out its place in the tournament on Monday during the NCAA selection show.

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 and will return again in 2020. South Florida has won five conference championships in The American, earning the tournament title in 2017, 2019 and 2020 as well as the regular season title in 2018 and 2020.
 
-#GoBulls-