Both men and women’s soccer spent more time in rain delays than in playing time on Thursday night as the seasonal Florida storms rolled in during gametime.

The women’s team was unable to keep up with American University while the men’s team got physical in all 90 minutes of play.

Women’s soccer: American 1, USF 0

In a game filled with adversity and complications, the Bulls came up short 1-0 against American University in their second matchup of the season Thursday.

South Florida (1-1-0) has played the waiting game throughout the last week, with over five hours worth of weather delays within the last two games, leaving a chance for any team to struggle after a long waiting period. For both American (1-1-1) and USF, this is what allowed the teams to recollect themselves, according to coach Denise Schilte-Brown.

“It was a good opportunity to recognize that our energy was not where it needed to be and it gave us time to sit down and talk to the players,” Schilte-Brown said. “It was almost like an extra tactical break that we wouldn’t have had. Definitely an advantage for us because they were doing something a little less expected.”

After a lengthy two-and-a-half hour wait, the standstill continued through the remainder of the first half. It wasn’t until the second half that things began to click for American.

Despite American’s first attempt being blocked by goalkeeper Sydney Martinez, the keeper struggled to maintain her grip on the ball giving the opponent a second opportunity to give them the 1-0 lead.

The Bulls attempted a rally to tie up the game, but by minute 85 the game was called due to nagging weather.

The Bulls will play their next game home at Corbett Stadium against FAU on Sunday at 6 p.m. The game will be broadcasted on ESPN+.

Men’s soccer: USF 0, FGCU 0

With 25 fouls and yellow cards littering the game, both South Florida (0-0-1) and Florida Gulf Coast (0-0-1) ended the battle in a scoreless draw for the season opener Thursday night.

FGCU arrived at Corbett Stadium more fired up than usual, playing with a different kind of aggression after coming off a nearly three hour rain delay. For coach Bob Butehorn, it was almost a little too much.

“I didn’t like the physicality,” Butehorn said. “I liked that we matched it, and for me, it had to be about those guys that had to be about our technical guys kind of get the game settled down to break their lines a little bit and that happened fast.”

As the Eagles put on a show of confrontation, they had full dominance over the first half making six shot attempts, all being unsuccessful. In the second half, the Bulls had a similar fate with eight misfires.

Not only were the Eagles a struggle for the Bulls, but the elements were as well as they played in the rain for a majority of the game.

“There should have been some opportunities in the second half that we should have buried and we just didn’t take it well, either the urgency wasn’t there or maybe the composure wasn’t there,” Butehorn said.

South Florida will face Washington on Sept. 6 at Corbett Stadium at 7:30 p.m. The game will be broadcast on ESPN+ and iHeartRadio Bulls Unlimited.