Bulls head to Orlando
MEN’S SOCCER GAME TIME
No. 11 USF (7-2-2) at UCF (6-5-0)
When: Tonight, 7
Where: UCF Soccer Complex
TV/Radio: None
Coming off a win on national television in front of a sold-out crowd, the South Florida men’s soccer team will try to use that momentum to beat the University of Central Florida for the second consecutive season.
The Bulls, at 7-2-2 on the season and 5-1-1 in the Big East, are tied for first with St. Johns atop the Big East red division standings. Louisville and DePaul are one game behind.
Tonight’s matchup at 7 will be the Bulls’ first non-conference game in more than a month.
Though the game doesn’t have a bearing on USF’s Big East fate, the players and coaches said they are approaching tonight’s game like any other.
“We don’t look at any game as more important than any other game,” junior Zak Boggs said.
Last year, the Bulls beat the Knights 5-2, but the team isn’t letting the win — or the fact that this isn’t a conference game — become an excuse to take the game any less seriously.
“It was business as usual this week,” coach George Kiefer said. “The guys trained, worked hard and are real focused for UCF.”
Fans can look for USF to try to pick up the pace tonight, Kiefer said.
“I think with UCF we’ll up the tempo a lot more,” he said. “We’ll go at it a little more aggressively and try to move the ball a little faster.”
Friday’s game had more of a methodical approach, Kiefer said.
The Bulls have kept opponents off the board in five of their last six games, only allowing a goal in a loss at DePaul last week.
Boggs, who scored Friday’s game-winner in overtime, said the team’s chemistry and leadership are really paying off.
“We got guys who’ve been around for a while,” he said. “We have strong leaders and everyone’s on the same page. The team really defends well as a unit.”
UCF comes into tonight’s game with a 6-5 record.
“They’re a hardworking team,” Kiefer said. “It should be a fun game.”
The Bulls have five more conference games on their schedule, including a showdown for first place with St. Johns on Saturday in Queens, N.Y.
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