USF Athletics

USF Hosts Rival FGCU Tuesday

October 23, 2017

TAMPA, OCT. 23, 2017 – The University of South Florida men's soccer team returns to Corbett Stadium Tuesday for the its last nonconference match of the regular season. The Bulls host in-state rival FGCU at 7 p.m.
 
Tuesday will be the USF's Fraternity and Sorority Life event. The fraternity and sorority that bring the highest percentage of their membership will receive $250 toward their philanthropy. It is also USF Student Alumni Association night, and the first 100 USF SAA members will receive a free shirt and pizza at the game. USF student-athletes will be celebrating -Athletes4Athletes- at the match. 
 
USF (6-5-2) has played one of its toughest nonconference schedules in recent history, taking on four top-20 teams plus two more teams that received votes in the in the United Soccer Coaches Top-25 poll this season. Tuesday's match caps off the nonconference slate with one of the most heated Florida rivalries in men's soccer. The Bulls will face FGCU (6-5-2) for the 11^th time in the past eight years.
 
Beyond the game, the story of the USF, FGCU rivalry takes a turn this season as Bulls' head coach Bob Butehorn will take on his former team. Butehorn, named USF head coach on Dec. 18, coached against his current team in all 11 meetings between USF and FGCU. In the Bulls' last meeting, FGCU advanced to the NCAA in a 3-0 penalty score after a 2-2 draw.
 
The Opponent
FGCU (6-5-2, 3-1-1 ASUN), the defending ASUN Champions, is currently in second place in league standings. The Eagles are led by Shak Adams and Robert Ferrer with five and four goals respectively. FGCU is 2-3-1 on the road this season and lost its most recent match, 2-1, at USC Upstate.
 
The Bulls own a 4-3-2 series advantage and are 2-1-2 in Tampa against FGCU. Last season, USF went 0-1-1 against the Eagles, losing 3-2 at FGCU and tied in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.
 
Notables

• USF is four wins away from a 10-win season. The program has turned in a 10-win season every year since 2013.
• Freshman Adrian Billhardt (Berlin, Germany) leads the Bulls with five goals and five assists this season.
• The Bulls are 5-2-0 at Corbett Stadium this season, and have accumulated a 32-11-9 record at home since 2013.

On Dec. 18 Bob Butehorn was appointed the head coach the USF men's soccer program. A member of the University of Tampa's 1981 national championship team and a three-time conference coach of the year, Butehorn previously led Florida Gulf Coast University's men's soccer program to six conference regular season championships, four NCAA Tournament appearances and Top 25 rankings in five seasons since 2010.
 
The Bulls concluded the season as The American regular season champions and advanced to the NCAA Tournament. The Bulls finished the season with a 10-6-4 overall record and a 6-1-0 mark in the American Athletic Conference.
 
Follow the men's soccer team on social media (Twitter | Facebook | Instagram) and visit GoUSFBulls.com for the most up-to-date information.
 
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