Bulls fall at Louisville, lose top spot in division
Following arguably the most important match of the season so far for the USF men’s soccer team, all a dejected USF coach George Kiefer could do was give No. 12 Louisville the credit it deserved for beating the No. 3 team in the country.
“(Louisville) was very good tonight,” Kiefer said. “We just have to let (the loss) go and get back on the field this weekend.”
In a match to determine sole possession of first place in the Big East Red Division, the Louisville Cardinals (7-1-2, 4-1-1) defeated USF (7-2-1, 3-2-1) 1-0 Wednesday at the Cardinal Park Soccer Stadium.
Both offenses struggled to find opportunities, as Louisville registered five shots on goal to USF’s one.
Louisville’s first shot came late in the first half, when midfielder Luis Pacheco-Marin’s 25-yard strike was saved by junior goalkeeper Jeff Attinella.
The No. 12 Cardinals did not have another scoring chance until the 84th minute, when midfielder J.T. Murray received a long ball and crossed it to forward Colin Rolfe, who blasted a 15-yard strike past Attinella for the game’s only goal.
“(Rolfe) made a very good shot,” Kiefer said. “You have to give him credit.”
The goal was Rolfe’s fifth this season and tied him with forward Mark Knight for the team lead. The assist was Murray’s first of the year.
Just one minute after Louisville took the advantage, Knight had a chance to retake the team lead in goals, but Attinella denied him the opportunity.
South Florida was unable to register a shot in the final four minutes.
“You learn from every game whether we win or lose,” Kiefer said. “We just can’t get too high or too low and need to have the mentality of taking it one match at a time.”
Louisville outshot the Bulls 11-4 overall and had three corner kicks to USF’s zero.
The Bulls will host St. John’s (2-2-5, 1-1-3) Saturday at 7:30 p.m. at the USF Soccer Stadium in a rematch of last year’s Big East final.
USF defeated the Red Storm 1-0 in overtime to claim the 2008 Big East Conference Championship.
More Stories
USF admin’s response to suicides unclear. What we know so far.
USF’s administration will not say who or how it will prevent future suicides on campus a month after a student leapt from an upper floor balcony of the Interdisciplinary Science Building – the third suicide since fall 2022. The Oracle has asked repeatedly about which USF administrators are overseeing suicide prevention initiatives and how the […]
USF SG leaders look back on campaign accomplishments while on non-speaking terms
Student body president Cesar Esmeraldi and vice president Elizabeth Volmy reached nearly every campaign goal during their term. The one thing that didn’t persevere was their unity. The pair ended their tenure reflecting on it from separate rooms. “We’ve had a great year,” Esmeraldi said. “I’m very happy with everything we’ve built. But because of […]
USF’s ‘Take Back the Night’ allows sexual survivors to share pain, resilience: ‘Recovery isn’t easy.’
A sexual assault survivor, who was the first speaker at Wednesday evening’s “Take Back the Night,” said the hardest day of their life was not when they were assaulted – it was the day after. “When I had to call my mom and tell her how her [child lost their] virginity and tell my therapist […]
USF campus ministers offer perspective on stadium development: ‘Exciting benefit of exposure.’
Take a tranquil stroll down Sycamore Drive. It’s a quieter part of campus, hidden away from the usual hustle and bustle of USF. It’s home to an area colloquially known as “Religious Row,” a collection of on-campus religious organizations. In just a few years – with the construction of an on-campus football stadium – the […]
McKinley Drive closed down for death investigation, Tampa police say
The intersection between Fowler Avenue and McKinley Drive was closed due to a death investigation late Wednesday afternoon, according to the Tampa Police Department (TPD). A man shot himself after making a bomb threat in the parking lot of the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT), located at 11201 McKinley Drive, according to TPD. Police said […]
USF 2024-25 A&S budget to increase student organization funding in Tampa and St. Pete
The Student Government (SG) Senate approved the 2024-25 Student Activities & Services (A&S) budget for all three campuses this Tuesday, seeing an overall increase in allocated money to student organizations. The vote was 26-0, approving the budget. Related: 2023-24 A&S budget down $5 million from last fiscal year Students pay fees in their tuition – […]