Skublak Scores, But Bulls Fall 2-1 to No. 20 Creighton

Senior striker Tomasz Skublak scored the lone goal on the night for the Bulls, but the comeback effort was not enough to help USF over its third ranked opponent of the season

 

TAMPA, Fla. Sept. 3, 2018– Senior striker Tomasz Skublak (Hamilton, Canada) scored his first goal on the season, and first for USF men’s soccer, in a 2-1 loss to No. 20 Creighton on Labor Day at Corbett Stadium.  

 

Just three minutes into the game, USF delivered a defensive foul in the box and Creighton’s Kuba Polat scored on a penalty kick, giving the Bluejays their first goal of the night. Before USF could even got a shot off, Creighton’s Akeem Ward scored the deciding goal on an assist from teammate Joel Rydstrand, a left-footed shot after penetrating the defense and drawing out goalkeeper Harrison Devenish-Meares (Sydney, Australia).

 

USF made quick adjustments and brought life to the game in the form of freshman Felipe Baptista (Pembroke Pines, Fla.), junior Alex Zis (Oakville, Canada), and sophomores Jonathan Rosales (Kissimmee, Fla.) and Avionne Flanagan (Baltimore, Md.). The group of midfielders and defensemen set up Tomasz Skublak for three shots in the first half, two of which were on frame. 

 

After the break, USF was down by two goals, and battled with the Bluejays in a physical contest before a brief comeback effort. Skublak delivered his goal in the 65^thminute, beating a defender and drawing out Creighton’s goalkeeper before chipping the ball over the keeper into the net. Skublak’s attack brought a moment of relief for the Bulls, who have been searching for the back of the net this season. But the moment was fleeting when USF failed to find an equalizing goal in the remaining minutes, and suffered a 2-1 defeat. 

 

“There’s no room for error in this schedule. These teams are very good, and there are a lot of seniors on [each team], and they are ranked. That team [Creighton] beat Clemson,” head coach Bob Butehorn said. “We have no place to hide, and we are learning. Right now it’s hard, but we hope it pays dividends at the end of the year.”  

 

On the night, Skublak had four shots with three on frame, and the lone goal for the Bulls. Zis took three shots for the Bulls with one on goal, while Baptista, Rosales and Flanagan each added a shot. Emilio Ycaza (St. Petersburg, Fla.) added a shot to round out the Bull’s offensive efforts. Goalkeeper Harrison Devenish-Meares played 90 minutes for the Bulls for the fourth straight contest and had two saves on the night while allowing two goals. 

 

USF men’s soccer fell to 0-4-0, while Creighton improved to 2-1-1 on the season. 

 

Quotable

“You learn a little bit more about yourself each game. We’ve taken some losses, and maybe some we shouldn’t have lost. Both Virginia Tech and Michigan State were losses that should have gone the other way, but you create your own luck. And for me right now, I want the team to understand that it is a tough road, it is worth the fight, that nothing worthwhile in life isn’t hard, and you just have to keep going and stay as positive as you possibly can.

 

“They just need to focus on what’s next and stay as tight as they can as a team, and things will work out,” said Butehorn.

 

Notable

·       Tomas Skublak had the Bull’s first goal of the season in the 65^thminute, chipping in a shot over Creighton’s goalkeeper.

·       Harrison Devenish-Meares was named The American Goalkeeper of the Week on Monday, and had two saves Monday night. 

·       On the season, no opponent had scored more than two shots on goal on Creighton, and the Bulls had four shots on goal.  

 

Up Next

The Bulls will travel to Columbus, Ohio to take on Ohio State on Friday, Sept. 7 at 7:30 p.m., before returning home to face FAU on Monday, Sept. 10 at Corbett Stadium.   

 

 

About USF Men’s Soccer

The Bulls concluded the 2017 regular season with a 6-6-4 overall record and finished fifth in the American Athletic Conference with a 3-2-2 mark. Head Coach Bob Butehorn leads the Bulls in his second season at the helm in 2018. Senior goalkeeper Christian Knight was selected as the American Preseason Goalkeeper of the Year, while sophomore Adrian Bilhardt was added to the preseason all-conference team.

 

Follow the men’s soccer team on social media (Twitter| Facebook| Instagram) and visit GoUSFBulls.com for the most up-to-date information.

 

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