TAMPA, Fla. (October 30, 2023) – The University of South Florida women's soccer team is back on the pitch for the first round of the 2023 American Athletic Conference Women's Soccer Championship on Tuesday. The AAC East Division Champions take on the FAU Owls on ESPN+ at 7 p.m. Admission is free to the public.
 
Peyton Felton was honored as the AAC Defensive Player of the Week as the University of South Florida women's soccer team has earned a Player of the Week nod for four-straight weeks. Felton helped lead the Bulls to a 2-1 win over Florida Atlantic. Felton and USF only allowed two shots on goal, while the junior also scored the game-winning goal in the 74th minute to clinch the East Division title. Sadie Sider-Echenberg landed on the Weekly Honor Roll. Sider-Echenberg scored the opening goal in a 2-1 win against Florida Atlantic to clinch the East Division crown.
 
AAC All-Conference Honors
Gentiana Fetaj, Vivianne Bessette, and Georgia Brown landed earned a spot on all-conference teams. Fetaj was the lone first-team selection, while Bessette and Brown were both selected to the second team.
 
Bulls at a Glance
Anna Sutter leads the team with six goals and 12 points. Georgia Brown is second on the team with 11 points, five goals and one assist. Gentiana Fetaj is currently tied for 79th in the nation with six assists, which is tied for second in The American. She is tied for 92nd in the nation and is tied for second in the conference with 0.35 assists per match. Fetaj has added two goals and is third on the squad with 10 points. Signe Markvardsen is third on the team with three goals. Bessette, Kouri Peace, Micahela Hill, Sadie Sider-Echenberg, and Peyton Vincze are tied for fourth on the team with two goals each. Madison Schwartzenberger, Peyton Felton, Amaris Hamilton-Grein, Regan Kelly, and Kendall Lincoln have all added one goal. Bessette and Serita Thurton are tied for second on the squad with four assists. Vincze, Hill, and Jaide Simone Prejean, all have two assists apiece on the season. Hamilton-Grein, Peace, Sutter, Linnea Nestor, Elyse Thornton, and Olivia Mancini all have one assist. Leire Herraez Gallach has a team-best 41 saves in 15 matches. Arden La-Rose has appeared in six matches and has eight saves on the year. As a team, USF is 30th in the country with 7.82 shots on goal per match, which is second in The American. With 1.59 assists per match, the Bulls are tied for 80th in the NCAA and are third in the AAC. South Florida is tied for 85th in the NCAA with 31 goals, 93rd in the country with 89 points, and 95th in the nation with 27 assists.
 
Series History with FAU
USF and FAU will meet for the 22nd time on Tuesday. The Bulls hold a 10-7-3 series advantage. South Florida won the last meeting 2-1, last Thursday, in Tampa. USF and FAU will meet for the first time in postseason play.  
 
Scouting the Owls
FAU is led by goalkeeper Lexi Gonzalez. She is 12th in the NCAA with a save percentage of .879, which is second in the AAC. She ranks 37th in the country with a .660 goals-against average, which is third in the conference. Elin Simonardottir paces the Owls with 10 points and five goals. Sofia Voldby is second on the squad with nine points, four goals and one assist. Molly Setsma is tied for second on the team with seven points, two goals and three assists. Michelle Horan and Olivia Bori are tied for the team lead FAU with four assists each. Malaya Melancon and Sloane Young have each added two goals. Drew Dempsey is tied for third on the team with three assists.
 
How to Follow
Watch: ESPN+
Live Stats: statbroadcast.com
Listen: Bulls Unlimited
 
American Athletic Conference Final Standings
East
1. USF – 10-5-2, 6-1-2
2. East Carolina – 9-4-5, 4-2-3
3. Charlotte – 8-6-4, 4-3-2
4. FAU – 7-6-5, 3-3-3
5. UAB – 6-6-5, 2-3-4
6. Temple – 2-13-3, 0-9-0
 
West
1. Memphis – 15-1-0, 9-0-0
2. SMU – 9-5-1, 5-3-1
3. Tulsa – 5-8-5, 3-2-4
4. North Texas – 8-5-3, 2-4-3
5. UTSA – 7-7-4, 2-4-3
6. Rice – 3-13-2, 1-7-1

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.
 
– #GoBulls –