TAMPA (Sept. 8, 2022) – The University of South Florida men's soccer team returns to Corbett Stadium on Friday to close out its short two-match homestand when the Bulls face Mercer. Kickoff is slated for 7 p.m. and the match can be seen live on ESPN+ ($).
The Bulls are looking for their first win of the season after a tough 3-0 loss to No. 3/2 Washington on Tuesday night.
Following Mercer, South Florida begins a five-match American Athletic Conference stretch, beginning on Sept. 16 at Florida Atlantic (7 p.m.).
MATCH FIVE | FRI. SEPT. 9, 2022 | 7 P.M. | CORBETT STADIUM, TAMPA, FLA.
WATCH LIVE (IN U.S. & CANADA) | WATCH LIVE (INT'L FEED) | LISTEN LIVE | LIVE STATS | TICKETS
USF BULLS | 0-3-1
Last Game: Sept. 6 vs. 3/2 Washington, L, 3-0
Next Game: Sept. 16 at Florida Atlantic, 7 p.m.
Head Coach: Bob Butehorn
Career Record: 162-132-38 (20th season)
At USF: 34-37-8 (Sixth season)
MERCER BEARS | 2-0-2
Last Game: Sept. 5 at Virginia Tech, W, 3-2
Next Game: Sept. 11 vs. Florida Gulf Coast, 3 p.m.
Head Coach: Brad Ruzzo
Career Record: 131-114-30 (14th season)
At Mercer: Same
THE SERIES VS. MERCER
- South Florida and Mercer meet for just the fifth time with the Bulls dominating the all-time series, 4-0, with all four matches taking place in Tampa ... South Florida has outscored the Bears 18-3 in the four matches of the series.
- The two sides last met on Oct. 10, 2012, at Corbett Stadium, with South Florida defeating Mercer, 1-0.
A LOOK AT THE BEARS
- Mercer enters its match with South Florida with a 2-0-2 record on the year and has outscored the opposition, 10-6 in the four matches ... Friday's match is one of three road contests for the Bears in their first five matches.
- Mercer is coming off a 3-2 win at Virginia Tech on Monday night in Blacksburg ... The Bears opened 2022 with a 5-2 win over Winthrop on Aug. 25 and followed that with back-to-back 1-1 draws at Georgia State on Aug. 28 and against NC State on Sept. 2.
- Dylan Gaither leads Mercer in scoring with nine points on two goals and a team-high five assists ... Kadeem Agard and Fernando Arteaga are tied for second in scoring with six points, each scoring two goals and two assists.
LAST TIME OUT
- South Florida faced its second Top 25 opponent in the last three matches on Tuesday night when the No. 3/2-ranked Washington Huskies, made their way across the country for a visit to Corbett Stadium ... The Bulls were not able to pull off the upset as Washington handed the Green and Gold a 3-0 loss.
- The Huskies struck early in the contest striking from five yards out in the 7' for the only score of the half ... Like in the first stanza, Washington didn't waste any time getting on the board in the second 45 with an unassisted goal on a low liner to the far-left post from 20 yards out in the 48' ... The Huskies added an insurance goal in the 81'.
-
Jackson Weyman ended the night with seven saves, one shy of equaling his career-high ...
Marcus Victorio had a team-high three shots, including one of the Bulls' three shots on goal ...
Ajmeer Spengler and
Jemone Barclay each had two shots.
A LOOK AHEAD
- Following the Mercer match, South Florida begins a five-match American Athletic Conference stretch, beginning on Sept. 16 at Florida Atlantic with kickoff set for 7 p.m. ... The Bulls' AAC home opener is Sept. 24 at 7 p.m. against Temple.
CATCH THE BULLS ON BULLS UNLIMITED
- All of USF's home regular-season matches will be streamed live on the ESPN+ platform ... The American Athletic Conference and ESPN began a new 12-year television rights agreement which started in 2020-21 ... Subscriptions for the ESPN+ app are $6.99 monthly or $69.99 annually and can be packaged with Hulu and Disney+ streaming services.
- In addition, 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.
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 Men's Soccer
To stay up-to-date on the latest USF Men's Soccer news, follow the Bulls on social media (Twitter | Facebook | Instagram).
USF Men's Soccer competed in the school's first ever intercollegiate athletic contest on Sept. 25, 1965, beating Florida Southern 4-3. Since then, the oldest program on campus has built a winning tradition, claiming 14 conference championships and making 21 NCAA Tournament appearances, including 3 trips to the elite eight.
The program also has a strong reputation within the professional game and boasts 29 MLS draft picks. Notable alumni include two-time MLS Golden Boot winner Jeff Cunningham, USA 1994 World Cup star Roy Wegerle, and 2013 MLS Cup winner Dom Dwyer.
The Bulls have advanced to the postseason in 18 of the past 20 years, including 12 NCAA Tournament appearances during that period.
The University of South Florida men's soccer team was well represented on the AAC postseason All-Conference Team in 2021 with four players earning honors. Highlighting the Bulls' honorees was the American Athletic Conference Co-Goalkeeper of the Year, Kazuna Takase, along with first-team selection Shion Soga. In addition, Takase was also selected to the All-Conference Second Team along with Salvatore Mazzaferro, and Josh Gomina was named to the AAC All-Rookie Team.
– #GoBulls –