TAMPA, NOV. 17, 2016 – The University of South Florida men's soccer season came to an end in the NCAA first round after a 2-2 tie with FGCU Thursday night at Corbett Stadium. The Eagles went a perfect 3-0 in penalty kicks to advance to Sunday's second round.
The Bulls finish the season with a 10-6-4 record and the programs 20th NCAA tournament appearance, the most of any USF team.
USF trailed 1-0 after 26 minutes, but Lindo Mfeka (Durban, South Africa) had the Bulls' equalizer in the 43rd minute. Luis Garza (El Paso, Texas) saved the ball on the Eagles end line and popped it back to Bradley Farias (Indiantown, Fla.). Farias gained control, flicked it back to Mfeka and the senior buried it into the back of the net from 18 yards out.
In the 54th minute, Marcus Epps (Jackson, Miss.) and Farias wove through the Eagles' defense. Epps gave USF the 2-1 edge. The senior found Farias on the run and Farias took it deep into the box before playing the ball back to Epps. He scored from 12 yards out.
Just under 20 minutes later, FGCU tied the contest in the 71st minute on a defensive miscue by the Bulls. USF did not retake the lead and after 110 minutes of action, the contest was decided in penalty kicks.
FGCU converted three of four penalty kicks, while USF was held scoreless. Gonzalo Rodriguez's (Coustituciou, Chile) attempt hit the cross bar and in the Bulls' second attempt, FGCU's goalkeeper Jared Brown made a diving save to knock out Ricardo Gomez's (Gainesville, Ga.) shot. Nazeem Bartman's (Cape Town, South Africa) attempt went wide left and the Bulls season came to a close.
QUOTABLES:
Head coach George Kiefer on Thursday's not advancing to the next round:
“It's a difficult game for us to not be moving on from. At the same time Bob [Butehorn] does a great job with Gulf Coast. We both shook each other's hands after the penalty kicks. When you leave it to that, it's anybody's game.”
Head coach George Kiefer on the team's disappointment:
“The game is about mistakes. As a coach, it's tough. There's not much that I can say to erase the anguish from my players.”
Head coach George Kiefer on the familiarity between both programs:
“Bob and I have a good relationship. We not only play each other, but we'll bring teams in. It's a good partnership and that helps. We see a lot of each other. They handled the game well and did what they needed to do and they are moving on. I wish them luck.”
KEY STAT:
Spasoje Stefanovic (Belgrade, Serbia) made seven saves in 110 minutes of action including a big save in the second overtime.
NOTABLES:
USF has made the NCAA Tournament in nine of the last 11 seasons.
The Bulls have recorded 10 wins for three-straight years and 10 times under head coach George Kiefer.
Follow the men's soccer team on social media (Twitter | Facebook | Instagram) and visit GoUSFBulls.com for the most up-to-date information.
– #GoBulls –
