Seniors look to leave legacy on senior night
When the USF men’s soccer team takes the field for its home game tonight against Detroit Mercy, some players know they aren’t coming back.
“I want to come out tomorrow night and play my heart out for these guys like I’ve played my whole year,” senior defender Ben Sweat said.
Sweat joins a group of seniors who are playing their last game at Corbett Soccer Stadium. Sweat, Ricardo Webb, Samuel Hosseini, Brentton Muhammad, Luis Avila and Stiven Salinas will be honored before the game for USF’s senior night.
The Bulls (5-3-7, 2-2-3) are looking to capitalize on the momentum gained off their 4-1 conference win against SMU on Saturday night, their first win in four games. The game featured a persistent attack that finished on scoring opportunities inside the box.
“Everything we did in that game, we need to carry it over,” Sweat said. “We finished well in that game. The defense has been consistent all year. Goalkeeping has been great.”
Sweat said he and the seniors hope to have set an example to the
underclassmen.
“We are all about hard work,” he said. “I just want the younger guys to know that the older guys worked for it. That’s the name we’ve created for ourselves.”
The Palm Harbor native has helped the Bulls defense remain among the top four teams in the American Athletic Conference with the least amount of goals allowed.
While Sweat is prepared to gain more momentum against Detroit Mercy with a performance by both seniors and younger players, Salinas is looking forward to leaving a legacy where the team could continue to make conference tournament appearances for years to come.
“Hopefully we continue making the tournament every year and leave the legacy that we want to compete against the best schools in the nation,” Salinas said.
The senior forward, who scored a goal against SMU on Saturday, is a part of the attacking group that is ranked only second to No. 8 Louisville in goals per game (1.40).
While Salinas said he sees the team maintaining a good mentality and energy, he doesn’t want to get ahead of tonight.
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