COLUMBUS, Ohio, Sept. 7, 2018– USF men’s soccer defeated Big Ten opponent Ohio State 1-0 on Friday night behind a game-winning goal from Tomasz Skublak in the first half to pick up a key road win. 

 

The Bulls came right out in the first half and dominated offensive play, outshooting the Buckeyes 10 shots to five in the first half. In the 32^ndminute, Skublak (Hamilton, Canada), rose up to head in a beautiful right-to-left cross from teammate Jonathan Rosales (Kissimmee, Fla.) and found the back of the net for his second goal on the season. The assist is Rosales’ first of the year.

 

With two seconds remaining in the first half, a sideline scuffle sent Skublak to the locker room with a red card, and the Bulls played with just 10 men for the final 45 minutes. After the break, the Bulls set out to finish what they started in the first half, and defended the shutout. Ohio State used the advantage to create chances in the second half, including a close call from a free kick in the 70^thminute, but goalkeeper Harrison Devenish-Meares (Sydney, Australia) jumped on the ball for a save. 

 

USF had 14 shots on the night with seven coming on frame, while Ohio State had 15 takes, five coming on the net saved by Devenish-Meares. On the night, Adrian Billhardt (Berlin, Germany) led the shooting effort for the Bulls with five shots and three on goal. Skublak scored the lone goal on two shots, while Rosales added the assist for the Bulls. Trey Jackson (Ocala, Fla.) and Alex Zis (Oakville, Canada) both added two shots on the night with one shot on goal apiece. Emilio Ycaza (St. Petersburg, Fla.), Marcus Murphy (Orange Park, Fla.) and Henrique Gallina each (Atibaia, Brazil) added a shot apiece against Ohio State in the team-centric attacking effort from USF. 

 

Devenish-Meares played all 90 minutes in goal for the Bulls and picked up his first victory this season, totaling five saves on the night, with four coming in the second half when USF played down a man. 

 

USF opened the season with a rugged four straight games against teams that have all seen top-25 rankings this season, preparing them to take on a power-five opponent on the road and head back to Tampa with a victory. The Bulls improve to 1-4-0 on the season, while Ohio State falls to 1-4. 

 

Quotable

“I was very proud of their effort and the response from the team. We played a very good game with a full team, and a very good game with a man down,” head coach Bob Butehorn said. “We played a complete game with good effort and it was something we will build upon.”

 

Notable

·       The Bulls recorded their first shutout of the season. 

·       Tomasz Skublak had his second goal of the season in the 32^ndminute with a header on a cross from Jonathan Rosales. 

·       Rosales recorded the first assist for the Bulls this season. 

·       Goalkeeper Harrison Devenish-Meares recorded five saves in 90 minutes on the night, picking up his first win this season. 

·       The victory marks the Bulls’ first road win since Oct. 7, 2017, and is just Butehorn’s second road win at the helm for the Bulls. 

 

Up Next

The Bulls will return home to face FAU on Monday, Sept. 10 at Corbett Stadium at 7 p.m.  

 

 

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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