TAMPA, Fla., Oct. 16, 2022 – Freshman Haizea Aretxabala Blanco's (Padres Paulinos, Zalla, Spain) first collegiate goal was the deciding factor in the University of South Florida women's soccer team's 2-1 win over the East Carolina Pirates on Sunday afternoon.
 
With less than 10 minutes to go and the match tied at one, Serita Thurton (Ajax, Ontario, Canada) charged the ball down the field to the ECU goal. Her shot deflected off Blanco into the net to give the Bulls the 2-1 lead.
 
The match was slow to start, with only two shots on goal in the first half, both coming from South Florida. Vivianne Bessette (Montreal, Quebec, Canada) took a shot from about 30 yards out right to ECU's goalie. Daniella Chung (Boca Raton) followed suit less than a minute later. The Bulls held possession of the ball for the majority of the first half.
 
In the 36^th minute, Samantha Moxie found the back of the net to give the Pirates the early lead. Chiara Hahn (Lauterbach, Germany) had the Bulls last two shots of the half, one off target and the other blocked.
 
The Bulls were on the verge of scoring with Chiara Hahn holding possession of the ball in the box. A foul on the Pirates gave South Florida the penalty kick. Lucy Roberts (Cheshire, England) took the kick and tied the match at one.
 
Scoring Summary
ECU - Samantha Moxie, 35:19
USF – Lucy Roberts, 54:54 (PK)
USF - Haizea Aretxabala Blanco, 80:48

                  1         2        F
USF           0         2       2                          
ECU           1         0       1
 
Shots: USF 14, ECU 5
Shots on Goal: USF 8 ECU 2
Saves: USF 1, ECU 6
Corner Kicks: USF 6, ECU 3
Fouls: USF 8, ECU 4
 
Notable

• The Bulls are looking for their sixth consecutive title.
• They need three more wins to have 11-straight seasons with 10+ wins.
• This is South Florida's second come-from-behind win this season.

 
Up Next
The Bulls will welcome the Temple Owls on Thursday, Oct. 20 for a 7 p.m. match. Prior to the match, South Florida will honor the 2022 senior class. The seven seniors that will be honored are Sydney Martinez, Lucy Roberts, Rosalia Muino Gonzalez, Julianne Hutchison, Meghan Root, Landry Singleton, and Katrina Haarmann.
 
Fans can purchase tickets by calling 1-800-GoBulls or at Ticketmaster.
 
All home matches this season will be broadcast live on USF Bulls Unlimited, with Darek Sharp on the call. Bulls Unlimited is available via the free Tune In app (search "Bulls Unlimited'') and provides static-free quality whether you're listening on your streaming device, laptop or desktop. 
 
In addition to Bulls Unlimited, all of South Florida's home regular season matches will be streamed live on the ESPN+ platform. Subscriptions for the ESPN+ app are $6.99 monthly or $69.99 annually and can be packaged with Hulu and Disney+ streaming services. A step-by-step guide for subscribing to ESPN+ is located here.
 
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 ten consecutive seasons of 10-plus wins under head coach Denise Schilte-Brown. The Bulls made their first NCAA tournament appearance in 2010 and returned in 2014, 2015, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020 and 2021. South Florida has five consecutive seasons with a conference championship, earning the tournament title in 2017, 2019 and 2020 as well as the regular-season title in 2018, 2020 and 2021. 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.