DATE: Friday, Sept. 12
TIME: 7:00 p.m.
MATCHUP: USF-RV (2-1-0) at Old Dominion-NR (1-2-0)
WHERE: Norfolk, Va. / ODU Soccer Complex
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TAMPA, SEPT. 11, 2014 – Looking to build off two straight wins last week, USF hits the road for matchup with Old Dominion on Friday night in Norfolk, Va.

After dropping the season opener to Florida Gulf Coast, the Bulls responded nicely with two consecutive wins last week over Akron and Portland. USF is receiving votes and came in just outside the top 25 in this week’s NSCAA Coaches’ Poll.  

Lucas Baldin was named American Athletic Conference Offensive Player of the Week and also earned a spot on TopDrawerSoccer.com’s Team of the Week after scoring three goals. Spasoje Stefanovic posted his first-career shutout in a 2-0 win over Portland and earned American Goalkeeper of the Week for his efforts. Wesley Charpie was also awarded a spot on the conference weekly honor roll after leading the Bulls’ back line, which did not allow a goal in the run of play.

SCOUTING OLD DOMINION

The Monarchs came into the season ranked No. 25 in the NSCAA Coaches’ Poll but have dropped two of their first three contests. Both losses came at the hands of ranked opponents (No. 3 Virginia & No. 13 North Carolina) by a 1-0 score. They come into this week’s game following their first win of the season, a 1-0 victory over Northeastern.

Old Dominion finished second in Conference USA last season and advanced to the second round of the NCAA tournament before falling to Georgetown. The Monarchs’ top returning scorer is Jesse Miralrio, who posted 13 points (four goal & five assists) last season.

ALL-TIME SERIES

USF and Old Dominion were both members of the Sun Belt Conference in the 80’s and early 90’s, playing eight times during that span but have not played since 1990. The Monarchs hold a 3-1-4 advantage in the all-time series with the Bulls’ only win coming in the first-ever meeting back in 1982, a 2-1 victory. The two teams played to a 1-1 draw in the last meeting on Nov. 19, 1990.

NOTES

» Senior midfielder Lucas Baldin was named American Offensive Player of the Week and earned a spot on TopDrawerSoccer.com’s Team of the Week after scoring three goals last week.

» Spasoje Stefanovic was named American Goalkeeper of the Week after posting his first-career shutout against Portland.

» Baldin is currently tied for seventh in the country, averaging one goal per game.

» Wesley Charpie (No. 44) & Lindo Mfeka (No. 65) were named to TopDrawerSoccer.com’s list of top 100 players.
»  Charpie was recently named as a candidate for the Senior CLASS Award, one of the top honors in collegiate athletics for any sport.

» Mfeka & Edwin Moalosi were both named to the American Preseason All-Conference Team.

» The Bulls were picked to finish second behind UConn in the American Athletic Conference Preseason Poll.

» This year marks the 50th season of USF Men’s Soccer and the Bulls have finished under .500 only twice in that span while posting 27 seasons with double-digit wins.

» Under Head Coach George Kiefer, USF has advanced to the big dance eight times in 12 seasons and have only failed to advance past the first round twice in that span while making two trips to the Elite Eight.

» USF won its first conference championship last season since winning the Big East Tournament in 2008. The Bulls advanced past No. 11 UConn, 6-5 in PKs, to win the inaugural American Athletic Conference Tournament Title.
 

UP NEXT

USF returns to Tampa for a two-game homestand next week with games against Brown (Sept. 18) and No. 10 Washington (Sept. 21). Both games are set to begin at 7:30 p.m. at Corbett Stadium.