TAMPA, Fla. (October 18, 2023) – The University of South Florida women's soccer team returns to action on Thursday, Oct. 19, as it makes the trip to Houston for an American Athletic Conference matchup with Rice. The Bulls (8-5-1, 4-1-1 AAC) and the Owls (3-11-1, 1-5-0 AAC) are slated for an 8 p.m. ET first touch on ESPN+.
 
The Bulls brought home three weekly honors after a 2-0 week in conference play. Leire Herraez Gallach was named the AAC Goalkeeper of the Week after a stellar week in net for the University of South Florida women's soccer team. She recorded two clean sheets over the week to lead the Bulls to a 2-0 week. She tallied nine saves for the week. She notched five saves against North Texas, followed by four saves against SMU. She has produced clean sheets in three-straight matches. Signe Markvardsen and Sadie Sider-Echenberg both landed on the Honor Roll. Markvardsen recorded her second-straight game-winning goal as she notched the lone goal in South Florida's victory against North Texas. Sider-Echenberg delivered a world-class strike from well outside the 18-yard box. Her goal was the game-winner as USF defeated SMU, which was her first collegiate goal.
 
Bulls at a Glance
Anna Sutter leads the team with six goals and 12 points. She is tied for 131st in the NCAA with 0.43 goals per match, which is seventh in the conference. Her six goals are tied for 126th in the country and tied for fourth in the AAC. Georgia Brown is second on the team with 11 points, five goals and one assist. Gentiana Fetaj is currently tied for 48th in the nation with six assists, which is second in The American. She is tied for 49th in the nation and is second for the conference with 0.43 assists per match. Fetaj has added a goal and is third on the squad with eight points. Markvardsen is third on the team with three goals. Kouri Peace, Micahela Hill, Vivianne Bessette, and Peyton Vincze are tied for third on the team with two goals each. Sider-Echenberg, Amaris Hamilton-Grein, Regan Kelly, and Kendall Lincoln have all added one goal. Serita Thurton is second on the squad with four assists. Bessette, Vincze, Hill, and Jaide Simone Prejean, all have two assists apiece on the season. Hamilton-Grein, Peace, Linnea Nestor, Elyse Thornton, and Olivia Mancini all have one assist. Gallach has a team-best 38 saves in 12 matches. Arden La-Rose has appeared in six matches and has eight saves on the year. As a team, USF is tied for 39th in the country with 7.64 shots on goal per match, which is third in The American. With 1.71 assists per match, the Bulls are tied for 65th in the NCAA and are third in the AAC. South Florida is tied for 79th in the NCAA with 27 goals, 78th in the country with 78 points, and 81st in the nation with 24 assists.
 
Series History with Rice
South Florida and Rice will meet for just the second time in history on Thursday. The Bulls won the only meeting, 5-1, on Sept. 6, 2019, in a neutral site game in San Antonio, Texas.
 
Scouting the Owls
Rice is led by goalkeeper Hannah Pimentel. She is tied for 27th in the NCAA with 5.50 saves per match, which is tops in the conference. She has appeared in eight matches and has 44 saves. Ellen Halseth leads the Owls with 15 points, five goals and five assists. Kallie McKinney is second on the team with three goals and has added two assists. Natalie Gorji is tied for second on the team with eight points, two goals and four assists. Mia Brumlow is the only other player with multiple goals, with two.
 
How to Follow
Watch: ESPN+
Live Stats: riceowls.com
 
American Standings
East
1. USF – 8-5-1, 4-1-1
2. East Carolina – 8-3-4, 3-1-2
3. Charlotte – 6-5-4, 2-2-2
4. FAU – 6-5-4, 2-2-2
5. UAB – 5-4-5, 2-1-4
6. Temple – 2-10-3, 0-6-0
 
West
1. Memphis – 12-1-0, 6-0-0
2. SMU – 7-4-1, 3-2-1
3. North Texas – 8-3-2, 2-2-2
4. Tulsa – 3-7-5, 1-1-4
5. UTSA – 6-6-3, 1-3-2
6. Rice – 3-11-1, 1-5-0

About South Florida 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 2023 season marks the 17th and final for head coach Denise Schilte-Brown at the helm of the Bulls. Schilte-Brown guided South Florida to the program's first-ever NCAA Tournament in 2010 and the Bulls have made eight total postseason appearances (2014, 2015, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, and 2021) in the last 13 years. USF posted five consecutive seasons with a conference championship, winning the regular-season title in 2018, 2020, and 2021, while earning the tournament crown in 2017, 2019, and 2020. USF alum and Olympic Gold Medalist, Evelyne Viens, was selected fifth overall in the NWSL Draft by the Sky Blue FC, now Gotham FC. Viens was one of four Pro Bulls to participate in the 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup.
 
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