TAMPA, Fla., Sept. 25, 2018 -- The USF men’s soccer team defeated Stetson 3-1 in a balanced team effort led by goals from Avionne Flanagan (Baltimore, Md.), Henrique Gallina (Atabaia, Brazil) and Felipe Baptista (Pembroke Pines, Fla.) at Corbett Stadium on Tuesday night.  

 

Flanagan opened up the scoring for the Bulls in the 11^th minute winning an exciting one-on-one situation with Stetson’s goalkeeper. Teammate Emilio Ycaza (St. Petersburg, Fla.) played Flanagan through with a long ball over the top of the Stetson defender and Flanagan slotted the ball past the keeper for his second goal of the season.

 

In the 43^rd minute, a mix-up at midfield led to Hatter Daniel O’Brien playing the ball through to teammate Erwan Colas who finished a one-on-one situation against the Bulls’ keeper Harrison Devenish-Meares to level the match at one apiece heading into halftime. 

 

It didn’t take long for the Bulls to regain the lead in the second-half when Henrique Gallina’s header off of Alex Zis’ (Ontario, Canada) in-swinging corner kick in the 53^rd minute. Gallina’s goal was the first of his career, while Zis’ assist marks his third of the season, a team high. Zis has now recorded an assist in three consecutive matches, dating back to FGCU on Saturday Sept. 15

 

The Bulls sealed the match in the 82^nd minute when freshman Baptista curled in a left-footed shot from outside the box to give the Bulls their third goal of the night. Baptista’s goal was assisted by Zis and junior midfielder Stephen Rudderham.

 

Both teams were active offensively as USF had 13 shots on the night, while Stetson had 15. The two teams each had five shots on goal, respectively.

 

Devenish-Meares (Sydney, Australia) had a solid outing for the Bulls, as he recorded a total of four saves on the night, his highest since the Bulls defeated Ohio State on Sept. 7, when he recorded five.

 

 

Quotable

“Getting a win where we are in the season against an in-state team, is good, especially when a lot of our guys couldn’t play,” head coach Bob Butehorn said. “I’m happy for the team, this team is young, they have’t been through too many situations, they made it interesting at times but they’re just young and I’m glad we were able to come out with a win. They are maturing in front of you, they’re making decisions, learned from lessons in the past, in critical moments of the game, and hopefully that continues to translate well for us this season.”

 

Notable

 

• The Bulls have now scored two or more goals in their last four matches.
• The Bulls have now only lost one of their last five matches.
• Two freshmen scored their first career goals against Stetson, Henrique Gallina and Felipe Baptista. Gallina hails from Brazil, while Baptista’s family heritage is Brazilian and his parents are both Brazilian. 

 

Up Next

The Bulls host the Tulsa Golden Hurricane on Saturday Sep 29, at 7 p.m. at Corbett Stadium. Saturday night’s match will have a promotional soccer scarf giveaway to the first 300 fans.

 

 

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. 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.

 

– #GoBulls –