DENTON, Texas (October 20, 2024) – The University of South Florida women's soccer team was back on the pitch for a Sunday contest on the road against North Texas.
Sadie Sider-Echenberg recorded a brace to lift the Bulls to a 2-1 victory against the Mean Green.
With the victory, South Florida improved to 10-2-3 overall and 5-1-2 in American Athletic Conference play, while North Texas fell to 7-5-3 overall and 3-3-1 in conference matches. The Bulls moved into first place with 17 points. South Florida has two remaining matches. Rice is on a bye week and has 16 points in the second. Memphis, currently with 14 points, is on the road at Florida Atlantic at 6 p.m. After today's matches, Memphis and Rice will have three contests remaining, including a head-to-head matchup on Thursday.
Head Coach
Chris Brown becomes the second coach in USF history to win 10 matches in their first season as the head coach. The Bulls have won at least 10 matches in 13 of the last 15 seasons.
The Mean Green came into the match leading the NCAA with 24.0 shots per game. North Texas produced the first shot of the match in the fourth minute.
Sider-Echenberg recorded the match's first shot on goal, and it was a rocket. She dribbled along the top of the box and then quickly changed direction. She blasted a shot with her right foot towards the near post and beat the diving UNT keeper.
Lily Cunningham scored the equalizer for North Texas in the 23rd minute.
South Florida was unfazed and answered in the 29th minute.
Anna Sutter sent a low cross into the box, where Sider-Echenberg used her first touch to chip it in with her left foot. South Florida went into the half with a 2-1 lead.
The second half was a defensive battle that saw no shots on goal. Both sides finished the match with three shots on goal.
Sider-Echenberg collected her first career brace. Sider-Echenberg has notched the match-winning goal in all three matches she has scored in. Sutter dished out her third assist on the year.
Leire Herraez Gallach improved to 10-2-3 on the season in goal for the Bulls. She stopped two shots in the winning effort. The Bulls defense held the Mean Green to 14 shots, 10 shots below their season average.
From the Coach – Head Coach Chris Brown
"I'm so proud of the determination and hunger this group continues to display. UNT is a dangerous team, and they throw a lot at you going forward. It was a crucial conference result on the road. Now we need to recover and get ready for the next one on Thursday."
Notable
·
Sadie Sider-Echenberg tallied her first career brace.
· Sider-Echenberg has notched the match-winning goal in all three matches she has scored in.
· The Bulls have won at least 10 matches in 13 of the last 15 seasons.
· Head Coach
Chris Brown becomes the second coach in USF history to win 10 games in their first season as head coach.
Next Up
The Bulls return to Corbett Stadium on Thursday, October 24, for the final regular-season home match. USF will take on UTSA at 7 p.m. on ESPN+.
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 2024 season will be the first with Chris Brown at the helm. He spent the last 17 seasons as the associate head coach. Brown helped lead the Bulls to three AAC regular season titles, three AAC Tournament titles, and eight NCAA Tournament appearances – winning a conference title every year from 2017-21 while making five straight NCAA appearances during that period. Brown helped lead the Bulls to their first-ever NCAA Tournament appearance in 2010, a program-record 16 wins and program-best NCAA Tournament third-round appearance in 2019, both conference regular season and tournament titles in 2020, and a string of 10 straight seasons with 10 or more wins (2012-21). Brown has helped lead the Bulls to every NCAA appearance in program history, including two appearances in the second round, and three AAC Championship Game appearances.
As associate head coach, he mentored the program's first All-American and recent USF Athletic Hall of Fame inductee Evelyne Viens, who went on to earn three total All-America honors and an Olympic gold medal with the Canadian National Team at the 2021 Olympics in Tokyo. Goalie Sydney Martinez (2020) and forward Sydny Nasello (2020 and 2021) also earned All-America honors and were among the Bulls that have earned a total of eight AAC Offensive Player of the Year, AAC Midfielder of the Year, AAC Defensive Player of the Year or AAC Goalkeeper of the Year honors. Players he has coached hold every program's individual record and most, if not all, of the top 10 marks in every category.
– #GoBulls –
