USF Women’s Soccer Continued Success in 2020 Season
TAMPA, Fla., June 3, 2020 – The University of South Florida women's soccer team, despite losing a significant senior class from the 2019 season and battling a postponement of its season due to the COVID-19 pandemic, maintained a level of success that has become synonymous with the program in recent years.
The team swept titles in the American Athletic Conference for the first time in program history, earning its second AAC regular season title and its third tournament crown, Historically, the Bulls have now won six titles; five in The American, one in Conference-USA.
The Bulls battled back to a sweep of the conference titles after losing a senior class that accounted for nearly 80 percent of its goal scoring (35-of-44), 50 percent of its assists (20-of-42), 70 percent of its points (90-of-130) and 35 percent of its minutes played (7520-of-21094).
The Bulls again finished the year in both the United Soccer Coaches poll and the TopDrawerSoccer.com rankings. USF checked in at No. 19 in both the final list from TopDrawerSoccer and United Soccer Coaches.
South Florida stifled opposing offenses to begin the season. The team went a program-record five games without allowing a goal, starting the year 5-0-1, its best start since winning eight straight to begin the 2016 season.
The Bulls began the season with a bang, defeating non-conference foe Florida Atlantic, 3-0, on Feb. 7.
Sydny Nasello (Land O' Lakes, Fla.) scored the game-winner, while
Vivianne Bessette (Montreal, Quebec, Canada) tallied three points in her collegiate debut.
After a week off, USF kicked off conference play with a 2-0 win in its home opener against Temple.
Katie Kitching (Bedale, England) scored to begin the game, and
Paula Leblic notched her first goal as a Bull, also recording an assist for three points against the Owls.
Following a tough draw against Florida in Gainesville on Feb. 27, the Bulls were back on the road to continue conference play in Greenville, N.C. against ECU.
Meghan Cavanaugh (Clifton Park, N.Y.) tallied the lone goal of the game, while
Fanny Pelletier-Laroche (Gatineau, Quebec, Canada) assisted the goal.
Sydney Martinez (Rincon, Ga.) recorded her fifth consecutive clean sheet in a 3-0 win over Tulsa on March 13. Leblic scored twice, while Cavanaugh added the third in the victory on Senior Night.
Serita Thurton (Ajax, Ontario, Canada),
Sabrina Wagner (New Port Richey, Fla.), Nasello, Pelletier-Laroche and Solveig Larsen (Kopavogur, Iceland) all recorded assists as the Bulls recorded 11 points against the Golden Hurricane.
USF had its shutout streak snapped at 541 game minutes, as UCF scored in the 71
st minute in the War On I-4 at Corbett Stadium. However, the Bulls won the night as Nasello and Wagner scored to earn the victory, 2-1. Nasello's second game-winner of the year came off a penalty kick in the 76
th minute to help USF post the rivalry win.
The Bulls continued its success going back on the road to Houston on March 28. Goals from Bessette, Thurton and Nasello and another solid effort in net from Martinez helped the Bulls post the victory.
South Florida entered its April 3 matchup against Memphis looking to clinch at least a share of the American Athletic Conference regular season title at home. Two quick goals from Kitching and Nasello gave the Bulls a 2-0 lead, which was insurmountable for Memphis, giving USF hosting rights for the 2020 AAC Tournament and the regular-season crown for the second time in three seasons.
Schilte-Brown's squad finished the regular season with a draw on the road against Cincinnati, entering the AAC Tournament matched up with ECU for a first-round battle. The Bulls earned the victory of a Pirates own-goal, advancing USF to its sixth AAC Championship game appearance, more than any other league school.
With the regular-season draw looming, the Bulls offense exploded for four goals in the AAC Championship match, with Nasello scoring a brace and Leblic and Cavanugh each tallying their own goal to earn the win. Martinez and
Katrina Haarmann (Caledon, Ontario, Canada) combined for the shutout in net, while Leblic and
Chloe Zamiela (Stuart, Fla.) notched assists in the win.
Entering the team's seventh NCAA tournament appearance since 2010, the Bulls looked to build off a third-round finish in 2019. After a powerful 3-0 first-round win against Central Connecticut State, where Chaira Hahn (Lauterbach, Germany) scored her first collegiate goal and Bessette and Leblic added insurance, the Bulls faced the seven-seed Texas A&M Aggies in the second round. Ultimately, the Bulls' season ended in the round of 32, as the Aggies defense stifled USF's offensive attack and scored twice in the 2-0 victory.
Team Awards
Award – Player
AAC Offensive Player of the Year –
Sydny Nasello
AAC Co-Defensive Player of the Year –
Chyanne Dennis
AAC Goalkeeper of the Year –
Sydney Martinez
AAC Staff of the Year –
Denise Schilte-Brown,
Chris Brown,
Iban Lopez,
Erich Leite
All-Conference First Team –
Sydny Nasello,
Chyanne Dennis,
Sydney Martinez,
Vivianne Bessette and
Chiara Hahn
All-Conference Second Team –
Sabrina Wagner
All-Conference Rookie Team –
Vivianne Bessette and
Chiara Hahn
AAC All-Tournament Team –
Sydny Nasello,
Sydney Martinez,
Paula Leblic, Solveig Larsen, Rosalia Muino
AAC Tournament Most Outstanding Offensive Player –
Sydny Nasello
AAC Tournament Most Outstanding Defensive Player –
Sydney Martinez
United Soccer Coaches First Team All-American –
Sydny Nasello
United Soccer Coaches Second Team All-American –
Sydney Martinez
United Soccer Coaches First Team All-Region –
Vivianne Bessette,
Chiara Hahn,
Sydney Martinez,
Sydny Nasello,
Chyanne Dennis
United Soccer Coaches Regional Staff of the Year –
Denise Schilte-Brown,
Chris Brown,
Iban Lopez,
Erich Leite
MAC Hermann Trophy Semifinalist –
Sydny Nasello
AAC Offensive Player of the Week –
Sydny Nasello (three times),
Paula Leblic (one time)
AAC Defensive Player of the Week –
Chyanne Dennis (three times),
Paula Leblic (one time)
AAC Goalkeeper of the Week – Martinez (three times)
AAC Rookie of the Week –
Chiara Hahn (one time),
Vivianne Bessette (one time)
AAC Honor Roll –
Sydny Nasello (one time),
Meghan Cavanaugh (one time),
Vivianne Bessette (one time),
Katie Kitching (one time),
Sydney Martinez (two times),
Sabrina Wagner (one time),
Fanny Pelletier-Laroche (one time)
Senior CLASS Award Second Team –
Sabrina Wagner
TopDrawerSoccer Top 100 Upperclassmen –
Sydny Nasello (28
th),
Sydney Martinez (73
rd),
Chyanne Dennis (89
th) and
Paula Leblic (93
rd)
TopDrawerSoccer Top 100 Freshmen –
Vivianne Bessette (19
th) and
Chiara Hahn (30
th)
TopDrawerSoccer Best XI Teams –
Sydny Nasello (Third Team) and
Vivianne Bessette (Freshman Second Team)
Key Stats
.846 – The Bulls posted their best winning percentage since finishing the 1998 season 15-1-3 (.868)
0 – USF finished the regular season undefeated for the second time in program history (1998).
0.46 – The Bulls posted the lowest goals-against average in program history
Notables
- Sydney Martinez broke the record for the lowest goals-against average in program history at 0.45, besting the previous record of 0.60 set by Alicia Bostain in 1997.
- The team made its seventh NCAA tournament appearance and reached the second round for the fourth time in program history.
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, 2019 and 2020. South Florida has won four consecutive conference championships, earning the tournament title in 2017, 2019 and 2020 as well as the regular-season title in 2018 and 2020. The program had its first draft pick and second-highest pick in USF Athletics history with Evelyne Viens being taken with the fifth overall pick in the 2020 NWSL Draft by Sky Blue FC, now Gotham FC.
-#GoBulls-
