USF proves to be the ‘meaner green’ in 1-0 win against UNT

The Bulls wore pink uniforms at Thursday’s Breast Cancer Awareness Night game. ORACLE PHOTO/GIOVANNA SILVEIRA CHITTO

USF women’s soccer beat UNT 1-0 on Thursday night at Corbett Stadium.

The win was the first time USF (7-5-1, 3-1-1 AAC) played UNT (8-2-2, 2-1-2 AAC) in a non-exhibition game. It also marked the Bulls’ second consecutive win.

USF started applying pressure early on and was rewarded with two corners in the first minute.

The Bulls dominated the first half with 67% possession. UNT made its defensive intentions clear from the start by looking for breaks and long passes.

The first half ended scoreless thanks to USF’s strong defensive performance, which limited the Mean Green to two shots on goal and zero corners.

The Bulls had to deal with quick and tall attackers, chasing long passes from their opponent. Bulls coach Denise Schilte-Brown said that although her team expected the challenge, they still switched from a riskier approach to a safer one at half time.

USF had a rough start to the second half. UNT entered an attacking phase after the Bulls overturned a corner, leading to the Mean Green’s first two corners and two close shots.

The Bulls managed to turn the tables quickly as sophomore defender Signe Markvardsen broke the deadlock with a 20-yard goal at the top right corner in the 55th minute of the game.

Markvardsen had a remarkable week coming into this game. She was named the AAC offensive player of the week and earned a spot on College Soccer News’ Women’s National Team of The Week.

This was her second goal in two games. She led the Bulls to a similar 1-0 win against UAB last week.

Markvardsen said she loves her role on the team, as it allows her to play with versatility.

“I think of myself as a defensive player who wants to be an offensive [player]. I love to go forward and it’s nice as a wingback [where] I can do both,” Markvardsen said. 

 USF is coming off of two tight 1-0 wins after beating the Mean Green, but Schilte-Brown said she’s not worried about the low scores.

“What’s about to happen is the floodgates are about to just break wide open. Anna [Sutter] is due for a goal, Kouri [Peace] is due for a goal, Sadie [Sider-Echenberg] is due for a goal, Gentiana [Fetaj] is due for a goal,” Schilte-Brown said.

“Signe is going to keep scoring… Georgia [Brown] wants one, [Peyton] Felton wants one. I have six hungry girls right now, which I think is positive.”

The Bulls will play SMU at Corbett Stadium on Sunday at 1 p.m.