DATE: Saturday, Oct. 4
TIME: 7:30 p.m.
MATCHUP: No. 22 USF (5-3-0, 1-0-0) vs. NR-Temple (2-6-1, 1-0-0)
LOCATION: Tampa, Fla. / Corbett Stadium (2,000+)
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GAME NOTES
 

TAMPA, OCT. 3, 2014 – The Bulls bring a two-game winning streak into their American Athletic Conference home opener against Temple Saturday night.

No. 22 USF will look to improve to 2-0 in conference play after beating UConn last Saturday for its first win in the league. The Bulls are coming off a 3-0 win over Georgia Southern on Wednesday night thanks to second-half goals by Eduardo Maceira, Tyler Blackwood and Edwin Moalosi.

Playing at Corbett Stadium has proven to be a huge advantage for the Bulls over the years and this season has been no different. USF is 4-1 at home this season and has only lost three of its last 14 home matches.

SCOUTING TEMPLE

Team Outlook: The Owls had a strong showing during their inaugural season in the American and posted a 10-4-4 overall record in 2013. They were picked to finish fifth in the American Preseason Coaches’ Poll this season and are led by a trio of players that were named to the all-conference preseason team in goalkeeper Dan Scheck, defender Robert Sagel and midfielder Jared Martinelli. Scheck was named preseason goalkeeper of the year in the American after tying a school record with nine shutouts in 2013.

Temple posted a 2-0 win over Cincinnati last Saturday to start conference play on a high note and snap a three-game losing streak. The Owls are 2-6-1 overall but have played a very challenging schedule so far this season, facing some college soccer heavyweights such as Penn State, Duke and Delaware.

Player to Watch: Jared Martinelli (Jr.-MF/F)

Martinelli had an impressive sophomore season in 2013, leading the Owls in goals (six), points (16) and shots (48) on the way to being named second team all-conference. The junior is tied for the team lead with two goals and also leads the squad with 32 shots this season.

ALL-TIME SERIES

This will be just the third ever game between USF and Temple with both prior meetings coming last season.

The Bulls defeated the Owls 1-0 in the American Athletic Conference Tournament quarterfinals to begin their conference championship run after playing to a 1-1 draw in last year’s regular season meeting. This will be the first home match for USF against Temple as both of last season’s games were played in Ambler, Pa.

QUICK HITTERS

» The Bulls improved to 4-1 at home this season with a 3-0 win over Georgia Southern on Wednesday night. They have only lost three of their last 14 home games dating back to last season.

» USF has been nearly unbeatable when scoring two or more goals. The Bulls are 32-1-4 overall in the last five years when scoring at least twice and haven’t lost at home since Sept. 13, 2002 (4-3 vs. UNC-Greensboro), going 65-0-5 in that span.

» USF jumped into the NSCAA Top 25 this week for the first time this season, coming in at No. 22. It is the first time the Bulls have been ranked in the NSCAA poll since October 2012, when they were No. 21.

» The Bulls have given up the fewest goals in the American this season, surrendering only seven, and have only given up one goal in the first half all season.
» Senior midfielder Lucas Baldin is first in the conference with 1.38 points per game and ranks second with 11 points. He is also first in the conference with five assists.

» Baldin has posted an assist in four straight games after not having any over his first three seasons at USF.

» Edwin Moalosi has scored three goals in the past four games and is tied for fifth in the American with eight points.

» Spasoje Stefanovic was named American Goalkeeper of the Week for the second time on Monday and Wesley Charpie was named American Defender of the Week for the first time.

» The Bulls have had 10 different players record a point and six different players score a goal so far this season.

UP NEXT

USF concludes its three-game homestand and continues conference play on Wednesday, Oct. 8 against Tulsa at 7:30 p.m.