Soccer team drops second match

As the conference losses begin to add up for the No. 11 USF men’s soccer team, wins also seem to slip from within its grasp.

The Bulls lost for the second time in two games, losing to No. 25 UAB 4-3 at West Campus Field in Birmingham, Ala.

The Blazers (8-4-0, 5-1-0 C-USA) took an early lead in the first half when Maurice Hughes notched UAB’s first goal three minutes into the game.

In the 41st minute, the Blazers jumped to a 2-0 lead when Sandy Gbandi scored off a pass from Leandro de Oliveira.

USF (7-2-2, 3-2-1 C-USA) quickly responded when freshman midfielder Rodrigo Hidalgo netted his goal in the 51st minute off an assist from Simon Schoendorf. Hidalgo got an assist of his own on a Schoendorf goal that came only seven minutes later.

Things picked up for the Bulls when they took the lead on Christian Jimenez’s unassisted goal in the 72nd minute.

The Blazers tied the game up five minutes later as de Oliveira netted his own unassisted goal in the 77th.

As the game was winding down, USF was aiming for overtime play, but Gbandi scored the game-winning goal with less than two minutes remaining. UAB’s Jason McLaughlin sent a corner kick into the Bulls’ goal box and Gbandi put the rebound past USF freshman goalkeeper Freddy Hall, who was making his second consecutive start in place of starter Dane Brenner.

The loss to UAB marks USF’s second of the season.