TAMPA, SEPT. 10, 2016 – In battle between the East Coast USF and the West Coast, the University of South Florida men's soccer team never trailed and rose to the challenge, defeating the University of San Francisco, 2-0, Saturday afternoon at Corbett Stadium.
The Bulls (1-3-2) picked up their first win thanks to an explosive offense that took nine shots, three on goal. USF scored both its goals in the first half, and held San Francisco (2-3-0) to just three shots in the first 45 minutes. Nazeem Bartman (Cape Town, South Africa) scored his first goal of the season, Lindo Mfeka (Durban, South Africa) and Marcus Epps (Jackson, Miss.) picked up the assist. Epps created a great opportunity and chipped it to Beckett, who found Bartman on a cross to the 6-yard box and Bartman placed it in the lower left corner in the 24th minute.
Stephen Rudderham (Tampa, Fla.) scored his goal in the 43rd minute to put the Bulls up, 2-0. Rudderham got the ball on a clear from Gabriel Pfeffer (Montevideo, Uruguay), beating a defender on the run and drilling it to the right side of the goal.
Spasoje Stefanovic (Belgrade, Serbia) made three saves in 90 minutes of action, including a diving save on a penalty kick in the 40th minute.
Quotables:
Freshman Stephen Rudderham (#12) on the teams' defensive effort:
“Defensively, conceding no goals is always a good thing. Spaka saving a PK was big-time, it was awesome.”
Senior Nazeem Bartman (#9) on the team effort:
“It's always a great thing to score, but it's even better to get chances, and create chances. Today we had everyone back, and we had selfless plays. The team looked good out there. We trust our players; we believe in our defenders. Everyone that was playing did a great job.”
Head coach George Kiefer on the team's first win:
“One of my favorite things about coaching is seeing how we deal with adversity. How do you bounce back and not let it cripple you? In athletics you get to keep trying, but in life, sometimes it cripples you to your knees. Our guys are still figuring out a few things, but I'm very confident we're moving in the right direction.”
Key Stat:
USF outshot San Francisco, 7-3, in the first half and the Bulls offense totaled nine shots, three on goal. USF's three shots on goal tied the most this season.
Notables:
Rudderham's goal was the first of his career. He joins Luis Garza as the two freshmen to score goals this season. The pair have combined for three goals, over half of the team's goals on the year.
MAC Herman trophy candidate Bartman ended a six-game dry spell, scoring his ninth goal as a Bull, the 43rd of his collegiate career.
Stefanovic posted his 15th career solo shutout, the first of the 2016 season.
Up Next:
USF continues its four-game home stand Sept. 14 against North Florida. The Bulls will host its instate rival in a 7 p.m. match-up.
The Bulls ended the 2015 campaign in the second round of the NCAA Tournament and an 11-6-3 overall record (5-1-2 The American). Head coach George Kiefer was named the National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA) East Region Coach of the Year. Kiefer led USF to its eighth NCAA tournament appearance in the past nine years and earned the No. 2 ranking in the NSCAA East Region. The Bulls posted double-digit wins for the ninth time under Kiefer in 14 seasons and went undefeated at home during the regular season.
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