Bulls travel to fight Irish
With a 2-0 victory over Providence on Sunday afternoon, the South Florida women’s soccer team surpassed its win total from one season ago. This weekend the Bulls will hit the road for a very tough assignment.
USF will travel to South Bend, Ind., to take on the No. 1 Notre Dame Fighting Irish on Friday. The Fighting Irish have a 10-0-0 record, the only team in the country with an unbeaten and untied record. Then the Bulls travel to Chicago on Sunday to play the DePaul Blue Demons.
USF coach Denise Schilte-Brown said she knows that her team has a big challenge ahead of them.
“We have an exciting test coming up with Notre Dame,” Schilte-Brown said. “The girls have been prepared properly and I think every day they’re embracing the challenges. They are so young and talented and it’s exciting to watch their development.”
Junior goalkeeper Mallori Lofton-Malachi was named Big East Goalkeeper of the Week last week. She leads the Big East with 62 saves. She said she was happy with the recognition.
“I think it’s a great honor,” Lofton-Malachi said. “Our defense worked really hard this weekend and as a team we worked hard and, to me, it’s actually a huge honor to get that this week.”
One of 23 newcomers to the Bulls, freshman forward Chelsea Klotz has played a huge role in the team’s success this year. She leads the team with three goals.
“It’s going to be a battle, but I think we’re going to go out there really calm to play them,” Klotz said. “You always play your best games against the best teams and we feel very prepared.”
Lofton-Malachi said she is excited to see how her team matches up with Notre Dame.
“It’s an awesome challenge to be able to play the No. 1 team in the nation,” she said. “We’ll go in there and see how we match up with them.”