Bulls beat DePaul in second attempt

The USF women’s soccer team overcame difficult circumstances Monday to beat DePaul 1-0 in overtime at the USF Soccer Stadium, courtesy of forward Chelsea Klotz’s game-winning goal in the 94th minute.

The Bulls and the Blue Demons originally squared-off Sunday afternoon, with USF (5-3-3, 1-0-1) jumping out to a 2-0 lead before the halftime break. Unfortunately for USF, bad weather rolled in before halftime, forcing multiple delays and an eventual cancellation.

Because the match was resumed Monday and not Sunday, the score and clock were reset as if the teams never took the field. USF did not enjoy the same success Monday, playing more than 90 scoreless minutes before rallying for the overtime win.

“I felt good about today,” USF coach Denise Schilte-Brown said. “I really wanted to get the game in … I was pretty excited to just get the game in and then I felt good. We have an older team, a lot of juniors and seniors on the field and really good leaders in place. I felt like that maturity would show today. You don’t want to be immature about the situation and assume that you’ve already beaten this team and you’re going to come out here and do it again.”

Playing at an unusual time, with an 11 a.m. kickoff, and on an unusual day, the Bulls started slowly by tallying only three first-half shots. Though the team was more aggressive in the second half – taking 13 shots – it still was not very sharp in front of the goal.

Klotz’s game-winning goal came exactly as Schilte-Brown and the team had scripted before overtime began.

“We met right before the first overtime and said, ‘OK, how’s the goal going to come? You guys tell me,'” Schilte-Brown said. “The girls said, ‘It’s going to come from the end line, cut back and go in the goal.’ It did end on a cut back goal after outflanking (DePaul).”

Schilte-Brown said she and the team enjoyed the chance to play a game on a Monday.

“I think they love soccer,” she said. “For me, I was excited to be out here. I mean, it’s a workday, so it was either go to work or, yay, coach a game. I (told the team) let’s have that mentality. You get to play on a Monday. We’ve never played on a Monday. You can go to class or you can play soccer. They were like, ‘Yeah, soccer is way better.'”