TAMPA, Fla. (November 6, 2024) – The University of South Florida returns to the pitch on Thursday for the American Athletic Conference semifinal matchup with East Carolina. The Bulls and Pirates are scheduled for a 4 p.m. first touch on ESPN+.
 
Earlier this week, Leire Herraez Gallach was named the AAC Goalkeeper of the Year, while Sadie Sider-Echenberg was tabbed the Midfielder of the Year. Georgia Brown joined Herraez Gallach and Sider-Echenberg on the All-AAC First Team. Anna Sutter and Gentiana Fetaj were selected for the second team. Micahela Hill earned a spot on the third team. Sophia Cabral and Brooke Fabri landed on the AAC All-Freshman Team.
 
AAC Goalkeeper of the Year
After a phenomenal season, Herraez Gallach won her first Goalkeeper of the Year and her first all-conference honor. She is tied for fifth in the NCAA with 11 clean sheets, which is the most in the AAC. She is sixth in the country and leads the conference with a save percentage of .889. With a goals-against average of .359, she is fifth in the nation and leads the AAC. She enters Thursday with a record of 12-2-4. She has stopped 48 shots and has surrendered only six goals in 18 matches.
 
AAC Midfielder of the Year
Sider-Echenberg won her first AAC Midfielder of the Year award and her first all-conference accolade. She finished the regular season tied for second on the team with five goals and 12 points. She has added two assists. She has recorded the match-winning goal in all four matches she has scored. She accounted for all three USF goals in back-to-back matches against North Texas and UTSA.
 
All-AAC First Team
Brown joined Herraez Gallach and Sider-Echenberg on the All-AAC First Team. For the season, Brown has 10 points, four goals, and two assists. She recorded a brace in the USF victory against Jacksonville and played the hero with a last-minute goal in Kansas to force a draw. She has played all 90 minutes in 13 matches for the year.
 
All-AAC Second Team
Sutter landed on her first all-conference team with the second-team nod. She is tied for 100th in the country and tied for third in the conference with eight goals. She paces the team with 19 points. Her 19 points are tied for 137 in the NCAA and are fifth in the AAC. She produced the match-winning goal against UAB. For the regular season, she produced a shot-on-goal percentage of .523.
 
Fetaj picked up her second all-conference honor with a second-team selection. She is second on the squad with five assists. She has 11 points with three goals. She produced match-winning goals against Southern and Temple.
 
All-AAC Third Team
Hill collected her first all-conference accolade with a spot on the third team. She is tied for second on the team with five goals and tied for second in points with 12. She has dished out two assists. She recorded a brace in USF's victory against UAB.
 
Fab Freshmen
Cabral and Fabri both earned spots on the AAC All-Freshman team. Cabral has two goals on the season, one against Southern and one against East Carolina. Fabri has notched two assists on the season, one against Jacksonville and the other against UAB.
 
Taking Your Shot        
The Bulls are tied for 26th in the NCAA with 17.44 shots per match and are second in the AAC. USF is tied for 24th in the country and is second in the conference with 8.06 shots on goal per match. The Bulls have tallied 20 or more shots in 9 of the 18 matches this season. South Florida posted 24 shots against North Texas, 22 shots against Tulsa, 21 shots against Temple, 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. USF has outshot its opponents in 15 of the 18 matches this season.
 
High-Octane Offense
The Bulls are tied for 78th in the NCAA with 32 goals, which is fourth in the conference. The 37 assists are tied for 33rd in the nation and are fourth in the AAC. Serita Thurton has a team-best six assists, which is tied for 96th in the NCAA and is tied for fourth in the conference. South Florida is tied for 62nd in the country with 101 points, which is third in the conference. With 1.78 goals per match, the Bulls are tied for 78th in the country and are fourth in the conference in scoring offense.
 
Series History with East Carolina
South Florida and East Carolina will meet for the 18th time on Thursday. The Bulls lead the overall series 13-3-1. USF won the matchup earlier this season, 3-0, at ECU. The Bulls have won 13 of the last 14 meetings. South Florida is 2-0-0 in postseason matches against East Carolina.
 
How to Follow
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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 –