USF Athletics

MATCHUP: No. 19/20 South Florida vs. Florida
USF Match Notes (PDF)
UF Match Notes
WHEN: Thursday, Aug. 19 at 7 p.m.
LOCATION: Corbett Stadium
WATCH: ESPN+
LISTEN: Bulls Unlimited
STATS
TICKETS: 1-800-GO-BULLS or www.usfbullstix.com
TWITTER UPDATES: @USFWSOC

The USF women's soccer team begins its regular season Thursday night with a brand-name opponent when the Florida Gators visit Corbett Stadium. Before opening the American Athletic Conference slate, the Bulls will face three more high-profile SEC teams in Tampa — LSU, Kentucky and Tennessee.

"It shows how far we have come as a program,'' Bulls midfielder Sabrina Wagner said. "This is the level where we're at. These teams want to play us.''

That's because USF women's soccer, ranked 19th nationally in the preseason, has become a brand name itself.

"Our program doesn't take a back seat to anybody,'' Bulls coach Denise Schilte-Brown said. "We're good.''

This could be a particularly special season. With a mix of talent and experience, the Bulls seem poised to continue their stronghold on the AAC and have a deep run into the NCAA Tournament.

Schilte-Brown already was preparing for big things last spring, just moments after the Bulls were eliminated by Texas A&M in an NCAA second-round match. Looking ahead, Schilte-Brown's comments were pointed.

"We're going to be a team that you don't want to play next year.''

Last spring marked the first time the Bulls (10-1-2) had won the AAC regular-season and tournament titles in the same year. For the fifth-year seniors such as defender Chyanne Dennis and Wagner, who were granted an additional season by COVID-19, the four-year resume now includes four NCAA bids, three AAC tournament titles, two regular-season championships and an overall 54-14-4 record.

"We want to win a national championship,'' Dennis said. "That's where we are as a program right now. That's the mentality you've got to have. That's the biggest thing, of course. But you get there by concentrating on the little things.''

"We don't do things by accident,'' Wagner said. "Everything we do has a purpose.''

It's all part of the USF women's soccer brand that Schilte-Brown has helped to establish.

"We're going to care about one another, we're going to respect one another and we're going to be confident in everything we do,'' Schilte-Brown said. "Now what does that look like exactly?''

Schilte-Brown put together a team manual that drills down to the smallest details for procedures and expectations at practice, in the locker room, on game day, on off-days, during the summer. It used to be a painstaking process to cover all the material. Now her players cruise through it in about a day. They know the deal. The process has been set.

"Implementing a culture is something that requires hard work,'' Schilte-Brown said. "We've had some things that required all this hands-on manipulation, something that's stated as a rule or requirement. Now these things are happening naturally, going down through the leaders to the new players in our program. It's so nice to see.''

When USF scores a goal, the goal-scorer celebrates with everyone on the bench. If the Bulls are scored on, the players on the pitch give the horns-up hand signal and the bench players give the signal right back to signify unity. If a starter comes off the field, they must shake everyone's hands, then show support for the new on-field player. While entering the locker room, players must high-five all of their teammates, so no one feels alienated or alone and the group dynamic is emphasized.

"So much of this game is mental,'' Schilte-Brown said. "If you have a strong identity, a strong brand, you know who you are and can lean on that. We're a climbing program. It has been hard work to get there. I don't see anything slowing it down.

"Experience helps you get there. We're at the point where the NCAA Tournament is not this thing so foreign. You're not staring at it like a shiny new penny and in awe of it. It's always exciting and fun and you're thrilled to be part of it. But looking at it with experienced eyes, the mindset is how you move on and advance, not how you're just happy to be there. You have to know what you want, then go out and get it.''

But it all starts far from the crowds, far from the big games.

"We were there as freshmen once,'' Dennis said. "We had an idea of how we wanted the team run when we were seniors. We have the habit of treating others the way you would want to be treated. Leading other people isn't hard. We all know what we want. We all know what we stand for here.''

It's the USF women's soccer brand. And it's here to stay.