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USF's NCAA soccer run ends in OT in Omaha
USF men's soccer took No. 2 Creighton to overtime on Sunday, but the Bulls' NCAA run ended when the Bluejays scored in the seventh minute of the extra period in Omaha.
USF (13-4-4) had beaten Central Florida in double overtime and New Mexico in penalty kicks during a run to the NCAA Elite Eight, but the Bulls couldn't go any farther on a cold afternoon that saw temperatures in the 20s, one day after heavy snow had postponed the game. Ethan Finlay scored the winning goal -- his 14th of the season -- off a deflection of another shot that went off a Bulls defender. ... Read more
USF men's soccer earns No. 7 seed in NCAA field
USF's men's soccer team got the news it was hoping for Monday afternoon, as the Bulls earned a top-eight national seed -- and potentially two more home games -- as the No. 7 seed in the NCAA Tournament, which starts this week.
"That's a credit to the schedule we played and the conference we play in," coach George Kiefer said, moments after the team watched the NCAA selection show together in the Selmon Athletic Center. "The crazy thing in soccer, the 7 seed, the 1 seed, the 4 seed, the 8 seed, it guarantees you one thing. It guarantees one home game. We look forward to that one game on Sunday at 6 o'clock."
The Bulls (12-3-3) have a first-round bye, then will host the winner of Central Florida and Florida Gulf Coast on Sunday at 6 p.m. at Corbett Soccer Stadium. With a win there, the Bulls would stay home again, likely facing No. 10 New Mexico, which did not lose this season. ... Read more
USF men's soccer upset, waits for NCAA seeding
USF's men's soccer team made it all the way through the Big East season without taking a loss, but the Bulls stumbled Sunday, falling 1-0 to Villanova at Corbett Soccer Stadium in the quarterfinals of the Big East tournament.
Villanova (8-8-4) scored on a free kick in the third minute of play and the lead held up, leaving the Bulls out of the semifinals after winning the Big East's Red Division regular-season title. Coach George Kiefer said he still thinks the Bulls (12-3-3) have a good chance at landing a national top-eight seed, which would mean a first-round NCAA bye and the chance to host multiple home games in the tournament.
"I think it could be a good wake-up call for us," Kiefer said. "I feel like we're good enough to be seeded and play a few games at home. ... It all depends on the rest of the conference tournaments. It's out of our control now, but I certainly feel like we're good enough to get a first-round bye. I do feel like our resume will stack up against anybody to be a top-eight seed."
Soccer wins 3-0, clinches share of division crown
USF's men's soccer team clinched a share of the Big East's Red Division regular-season title on Wednesday night, earning a 3-0 victory against Cincinnati in the final home game of the regular season at Corbett Soccer Stadium.
The Bulls (12-2-2) won their seventh game in a row, getting two goals from junior Dom Dwyer, who now has a Big East high 16 goals in his first season with the Bulls. USF could have clinched the division title outright, but Rutgers edged St. John's; the Bulls can clinch with a win or tie in their regular-season finale Sunday at Rutgers.
USF has clinched an opening-round bye in the Big East tournament and will host a quarterfinal match on Saturday, Nov. 5, with the final two rounds held at Red Bull Arena in New Jersey. The Bulls, ranked fifth in the latest NCAA RPI ratings, are in position to earn a top seed in the NCAA Tournament and potentially host multiple games there as well.
USF roundup: Men's soccer wins at Wake Forest
USF's first football game week starts with practice tonight in preparation for Saturday's opener at Notre Dame, but first, a handful of links to catch up on a busy weekend. First, USF's men's soccer team opened its regular season with an impressive 2-0 win at a Wake Forest team ranked as high as No. 13, getting a goal from newcomer Dom Dwyer and a shutout by Michigan transfer Chris Blais.
Wake Forest had a huge crowd of 4,123 on hand, according to USF's official site, and according to Wake Forest's site, it's the first time in Demon Deacons history that the team lost a regular-season match in the month of August, dropping to 13-1-1 all-time; they also remind that USF avenged a 5-0 loss in the 2008 NCAA Tournament. USF returns home to face Georgia State on Friday in its first regular-season game at Corbett Soccer Stadium. ... Read more
NCAA soccer: USF men fall 3-0 at UCF
ORLANDO -- USF's fourth straight trip to the NCAA Tournament was a short one, as the Bulls were beaten soundly in the opening round, losing 3-0 to Central Florida on Thursday night.
"We picked a bad day to have a bad day," said USF coach George Kiefer, whose team played for the first time in 15 days. "Going into the game, looking at their personnel and our personnel, I felt good about the game. We didn't look sharp today. Clearly not playing in 15 days has an impact."
UCF (12-4-3) opened the scoring on a header by Ben Hunt in the 35th minute, but the key goal came with 57 seconds left in the first half, when Nik Robson scored his 10th goal of the season on a penalty kick.
"I think one of the turning points was giving up a goal with a minute to go in the first half to go down 2-0," Kiefer said. ... Read more
Men's soccer eager for 4th straight NCAA trip
TAMPA -- His team didn't have the overall record of other teams on the NCAA bubble, but USF men's soccer coach George Kiefer still had confidence that the Bulls would find their way into the postseason yet again.
"I'm especially happy for the seniors, to make it four years in a row," Kiefer said Monday after the Bulls (9-5-4) earned an at-large berth. "That's not something that's accomplished easily. I'm very pleased they get a chance to play another game."
The Bulls, who will travel to Orlando to face Central Florida (11-4-3) on Thursday at 5 p.m., made the NCAA cut despite winning just one of their last five matches. When they line up with the Knights, it will be their first game in 15 days, though Kiefer said the rest will benefit his team.
Kiefer says his Bulls are in the NCAA Tournament because of the strength of the Big East and the quality of teams USF has faced all season.
"When you look at how good the Big East was, six teams in the top 25 RPI, 10 in the top 50, so I felt pretty good that we had a shot to get looked at," Kiefer said. ... Read more
Soccer: Kiefer says UConn 'a fun environment'
This week's USF notebook starts with men's soccer, which has a huge opportunity on Friday night when the Bulls travel to face a top-10 opponent in Connecticut, where coach George Kiefer spent five seasons before coming to Tampa in 2002.
Kiefer said the UConn fans had his "head hung on a post" when the Bulls went there in 2007 -- "my mom didn't particularly like (it)," he says.
Here's the full notebook from Wednesday's Times, and you can watch the Bulls and Huskies on Friday night on ESPNU.
Men's soccer knocks off No. 9 Ohio State, 2-1
USF's men's soccer team picked up a big win Thursday night, handing No. 9 Ohio State its first loss of the season with a 2-1 win in a tournament hosted by Florida Gulf Coast in Fort Myers.
The Bulls (3-1-1) got an early goal from Shawn Chin in the 8th minute, only to see Ohio State (4-1) tie the match 10 minutes later. The Bulls got three saves from keeper Jeff Attinella, and the game-winner came in the 83rd minute from Bernardo Anor, with both goals assisted by Hasani Sinclair.
The win validates the Bulls' preseason victory against No. 1 Akron and continues the team's strong play since a season-opening loss at home to FGCU. The Bulls finish the tournament with a match against Drexel at 5 p.m. on Saturday.
Men's soccer takes rare home loss to FGCU
Fresh off an exhibition win against No. 1 Akron, USF men's soccer team stumbled in its regular-season opener Wednesday, falling 2-1 to Florida Gulf Coast University to end a 30-game home unbeaten streak.
Here's the writeup from USF's official site, including a video interview with coach George Kiefer, and here's the story from FGCU's site. Soccer America called it FGCU's "biggest win ever." The Naples News followed up with a story on Thursday afternoon. Both FGCU goals came right after the Bulls had to play a man short due to a red card to Hasani Sinclair.
The Bulls play Saturday at Doug Woolard's old school, Saint Louis, then return home to face Stony Brook on Tuesday, followed by a big home match against Virginia Tech on Friday, Sept. 10.
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