TAMPA, Fla. (October 9, 2024) – The University of South Florida women's soccer team returns to the pitch on Thursday for a match with East Carolina. The Bulls (7-2-3, 2-1-2) and the Pirates (6-2-4, 3-1-1) are slated for a 7 p.m. first touch in Greenville, North Carolina, on ESPN+.
 
Earlier this week, Micahela Hill was named the AAC Offensive Player of the Week, while Gentiana Fetaj earned a spot on the Honor Roll.    
 
Taking Your Shot        
The Bulls are 29th in the NCAA with 17.83 shots per match and are second in the AAC. USF is 22nd in the country and is third in the conference with 8.33 shots on goal per match. The Bulls have tallied 20 or more shots in six of the 12 matches this season. USF has outshot its opponents in 10 of the 12 matches this season. South Florida posted 23 shots against UAB, 23 shots against Stetson, 20 against UCF, 25 against FGCU, 40 against Southern, and 21 against Jacksonville. South Florida set a new Corbett Stadium record with 40 shots against Southern on August 21.
 
High-Octane Offense
The Bulls are tied for 71st in the NCAA with 24 goals, which is third in the conference. The 30 assists are tied for 20th in the nation and are fourth in the AAC. South Florida is tied for 46th in the country with 78 points, which is fourth in the conference. With 2.00 goals per match, the Bulls are tied for 57th in the country and are third in the conference in scoring offense.
 
Bulls at a Glance
Anna Sutter paces the squad with six goals, tied for 82nd in the NCAA and fifth in the conference. Her 14 points are tied for 111th in the NCAA and are tied are fifth in the AAC. Micahela Hill is second on the team with 12 points, five goals and two assists. Georgia Brown is third on the team with four goals and 10 points. Sadie Sider-Echenberg and Gentiana Fetaj have scored two goals. Serita Thurton, Peyton Felton, Sarah Brunner, Sophia Cabral, and Elyse Thornton each have one goal for the year. Fetaj and Thurton are tied for the team lead with four assists. Felton is third on the squad with three assists. Sutter, Brown, Hill, Sider-Echenberg, Brunner, Fabri, and Ava Rightmire all have two assists. five players have dished out one assist on the year.
 
Defensively, Leire Herraez Gallach has picked up the decisions in all 12 matches and is 7-2-3 on the year. She has made 24 saves and surrendered five goals on the season. Her save percentage of .828 is tied for 62nd in the NCAA and is second in the AAC. Her goals against average of .468 is 18th in the country and leads in the conference. She has six shutouts on the season, which is tied for 22nd in the NCAA and tied for the most in the conference.  Logan McGruder has made five saves and has surrendered four goals in three matches.
 
Series History with East Carolina
South Florida and East Carolina will meet for the 17th time on Thursday. The Bulls lead the overall series 12-3-1. However, the Pirates won the last meeting 2-0 in Tampa last season. USF has won 12 of the previous 13 meetings. South Florida is 5-2-0 in matches played at East Carolina.
 
Scouting the Pirates
The Pirates are anchored by keeper Maeve English. She has a record of 6-2-3 for ECU. She is tied for 92nd in the NCAA and fourth in the AAC with a save percentage of .805. Her goals against average of .727 is 53rd in the country and third in the conference. Sydney Schnell paces the attack with five goals and 11 points. Abby Sowa is second on the team with three goals, while Emma Sheehan has added two. Four other ECU players have netted a goal. Juliana Viera has a team-high three assists. Mackenzie Smith is the only other Pirate with multiple assists with two.
 
How to Follow
Watch: ESPN+
Live Stats: statbroadcast.com
 
American Standings
1. Rice – 10-2-1, 4-1-0
2. Memphis – 8-1-1, 3-0-1
3. East Carolina – 6-2-4, 3-1-1
4. North Texas – 7-3-3, 3-1-1
5. South Florida 7-2-3, 2-1-2
6. UAB – 5-4-2, 2-2-1
7. Florida Atlantic – 2-7-3, 1-2-1
8. UTSA – 6-5-2, 1-3-1
9. Tulsa – 5-6-2, 1-3-0
10. Charlotte 1-7-4, 0-2-2
11. Temple – 2-11-0, 0-4-0

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 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 –