USF men’s soccer hopes to recapture AAC title
USF junior forward Melvin Becket scored the winning goal in a 1-0 shutout of Memphis in the conference quarterfinal.
ORACLE PHOTO/ADAM MATHIEU
The USF men’s soccer team is one victory away from playing in a AAC championship tournament final for the third consecutive year.
The only thing standing in the Bulls’ way is Connecticut.
The No. 2-seed Bulls (11-4-3, 5-1-2) host the No. 3 Huskies in the semifinal match Friday at Corbett Stadium, where they are undefeated (9-0-2).
“Whenever you host the tournament, there’s a monkey on your back,” USF coach George Kiefer said after Saturday’s 1-0 win over Memphis in the quarterfinals.
“Nobody says it, but it’s the unwritten rule. When you host it, you need to be in it.”
USF defeated the Tigers thanks to junior forward Melvin Becket’s goal in the 28th minute. Becket is second on the team with five goals on the season, behind junior forward Nazeem Bartman (seven).
UConn (8-5-5, 3-3-2) advanced out of the quarterfinal by blanking Temple 4-0.
The Huskies displayed their depth — and promising young talent — as three freshmen contributed to the season-best offensive output.
UConn is also unbeaten in its previous six matches, outscoring its opponents 12-3, including a 2-1 overtime victory over USF on Halloween.
The winner of Friday’s match will advance to the final on Sunday. If the Bulls win the title, it will guarantee their first trip to the final since 2013 when they won the inaugural AAC title.
Their stretch of seven straight NCAA tournament bids was snapped last season when they lost to Tulsa in the final.
More Stories
USF set to face off against San Jose State in Hawaii Bowl
USF football will head to Honolulu to take on San Jose State in the Hawaii Bowl on Dec. 24 at the Clarence T.C. Ching Athletics Complex. The Hawaii Bowl is usually played by mid-level conferences and teams in the football bowl subdivision. The Christmas Eve game, set for an 8 p.m. EST kickoff on ESPN, […]
Reid’s career night powers USF men’s basketball to win over Stetson
Sophomore guard Jayden Reid’s first career 20-point game helped lift USF men’s basketball to a 74-72 win versus Stetson on Tuesday night. In front of a home crowd of 3,408 attendees at the Yuengling Center, Reid scored a career-best 23 points, in addition to a career-high four three-pointers against the Hatters. Related: USF men’s basketball […]
Upcoming UFC event in Tampa sparks excitement among USF’s boxing club
Sophomore David O’Grady developed his passion for the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) because of his involvement in martial arts. Now, he has the opportunity to attend an event in Tampa. The UFC’s Dec. 16 event will take place around 10 miles from the USF Tampa campus at Amalie Arena. Related: Here’s how USF says it’s […]
USF football receives All-Conference honors
Five USF football players were awarded with all-conference honors on Tuesday morning, matching last season’s total. The awards are given to the top players in the American Athletic Conference, and are voted on by AAC coaches. Graduate wide receiver Sean Atkins continued his historic USF career, earning conference honors for the second straight season. Atkins […]
USF women’s basketball drops two games in Cayman Islands tournament
USF women’s basketball opened the competition with a 59-52 defeat against Mississippi State. With the Cayman Islands Classic wrapping up on Saturday, head coach Jose Fernandez and his team will return home with two more defeats to reflect on. The Bulls concluded their time in the Caribbean without a win, falling to Mississippi State and […]
USF baseball lands highest-ranking recruiting class in AAC
The USF baseball program has achieved its highest recruiting class ranking since the 2015 season. The Bulls landed at the No. 25 spot, according to Perfect Game. They claimed the highest ranked recruiting class in the American Athletic Conference, placing 23 spots ahead of rival, ECU. The 2015 recruiting class was ranked number three in […]